Prospective investigation of the incidence of falls, dizziness and syncope in haemodialysis patients

Background Prevention of falls in the elderly is a major health care target. There are theoretical reasons why older dialysis patients may be at high risk of falls: co-morbidity, medication, and post-dialysis hypotension, which have not been well tested. Dialysis patients are also at higher risk of fracture if they do fall. Methods We prospectively interviewed all our centre haemodialysis patients over a 6 month period to see if they reported falls, syncope, pre-syncope or dizziness. Routine blood pressure (BP) and other clinical data were recorded. Results A total of 78 patients completed the study. There was a high incidence of all four symptoms but only falls was age-related. About 38% of patients aged > 65 reported 1 or more fall compared to 4% of younger patients (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in pre-dialysis, post-dialysis or standing BP between young and older patients or between fallers and non-fallers although the older patients did have a greater magnitude in change between pre-dialysis BP and post-dialysis standing BP. Conclusions Older haemodialysis patients have a high incidence of falls. Falls can be prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors. Whether existing guidelines are applicable to this specialised population is uncertain. There is a high incidence of syncope in dialysis patients of all ages and the cause of this needs further exploration.