Association between chronic pain and self-reported falls in the SABE study population

The objective of this study was to assess the association between chronic pain and self-reported falls. This was a cross-sectional sample of elderly individuals without cognitive deficits, living in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and with chronic pain. The study considered elderly that reported chronic pain for at least one year. History of falls was defined as at least one reported fall in the 12 months prior to the study. Data were obtained by home surveys of the elderly. Stata 11.0 was used for statistical analysis. Prevalence of chronic pain was 29.7% (95% CI: 25.4-33.9). Prevalence of falls in the previous year for individuals with pain was 31.6% (95% CI: 26.4-37.5) and did not differ significantly from those without pain (26.4%; 95% CI: 23.1-30.0; p = 0.145). Risk of falls was 50% higher (p = 0.019) for those with pain and osteoporosis and 48% higher for those with pain and urinary incontinence (p = 0.010). History of pain for at least one year and osteoporosis, pain, and urinary incontinency showed higher odds of falls.