Associated factors for falls and fear of falling in Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis

The objective of this is to determine factors associated with falls in Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Among the patients who participated in a single-institute-based prospective observational cohort study of patients with RA, namely, Institute of Rheumatology Rheumatoid Arthritis, 4,996 (male 765, female 4231, median age 60 years) responded to questions related to falls during the previous 6 months in April or May 2008. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between variables and falls. Five hundred and five (10.1%), 110 (2.2%), and 958 patients (19.2%) reported at least one fall, multiple falls, and fear of falling, respectively. Those who fell tended to report incident fractures during the same 6 months compared to those who did not (14.7% versus 1.1%, P < 0.001). In multivariate models, Japanese health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) scores (odds ratios (OR) 1.52, 2.49, and 3.88), tender joint counts (OR 1.39, 1.72, and 1.36), patient-reported visual analog scale for general health (OR 1.08, 1.16, and 1.20), and body mass index (OR 1.05, 1.08, and 1.04) were associated (P < 0.05) with at least one fall, multiple falls, and fear of falling, respectively. Other clinical variables and medications were also associated with falls and fear of falling. HAQ disability score, tender joint counts, and impaired general health appear to be associated with falls in Japanese patients with RA, as previously reported for patients of other ethnicities.