A prospective assessment of cardiac biomarkers for hemodynamic stress and necrosis and the risk of falls among older people: the ActiFE study

Falls are related to a complex interaction of risk factors. We examined if cardiac biomarkers for hemodynamic stress (N-terminal pro Brain Natriuretic Peptide—NT-proBNP), and for necrosis [high sensitive (hs) cardiac troponins T (cTnT) and I (cTnI)] are associated with falls in older people. Biomarkers were measured at baseline in a cohort of 1506 community-dwelling adults ≥65 years. Falls were assessed prospectively in a falls calendar (median 370 days). Cox-proportional hazards models evaluated the association of each biomarker with the incidence of the first fall accounting for established confounders. We observed 430 incident falls among 1327 participants and an effect modification by sex for all biomarkers. In multivariable analyses among men a one unit increment of log-transformed hs-cTnI was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.26 (95 % CI 1.04, 1.53). Men with hs-cTnT ≥ 14 ng/L had a HR of 1.74 (95 % CI 1.15, 2.61) compared to those with undetectable hs-cTnT levels. In women cTn were not associated with falls. We did not detect an association between NT-proBNP and the risk of fall. Our results suggest that cardiac troponins may not only identify subjects at risk for cardiovascular diseases, but also help to understand the underlying complex pathophysiology of falls.