Body composition is associated with the risk of falls and fear of falling in hemodialysis patients

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on hemodialysis (HD) experience musculoskeletal and body composition changes that may lead to reduced balance, gait speed and ability to perform activities of daily living, thus increasing the risk of falls. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between body composition with the risk of falls and fear of falling in HD patients. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 40 patients on HD. Fear of falling and risk of falls were assessed with the International Efficacy Scale of Falls and the QuickScreen Clinical Falls Risk Assessment. The sample was stratified at the 50th percentile to compare body composition according to the risk of falls and fear of falling. For comparison between groups, the independent Student t test was used and Spearman's correlation to associate the risk of falls and fear of falling with body composition. The level of significance was p<0.05 RESULTS: Moderate positive correlation between body fat with fear of falling (r=0.47) and risk of falling (r=0.42), and moderate negative correlation between lean mass with fear of falling (r=-0.51) and risk of falls (r=-0.45). The group with the highest risk of falls had higher body fat (36.8±8.2 vs 30.9±6.9; p=0.043). The group with the highest fear of falling had less lean mass (41.6±9.2 vs 52.0±7.6; p=0.004). CONCLUSION: Body composition is associated with the risk of falls and the fear of falling in patients with CKD on HD.