Interní Med. 2012; 14(12): 470-472

Vertigo, disorders of balance, falls

MUDr.Lenka Hronovská

Léčebna dlouhodobě nemocných Vršovice, p. o., Praha

Diseases in old age may have atypical manifestations in some patients. The clinical picture, course and prognosis are influenced by

basic diagnosis and associated diseases, which may impair the body and the ability to adapt to the current state of health. If due attention

is not paid to this fact, it may lead to misdiagnosis and, subsequently, to inappropriate treatment with all possible consequences.

Geriatric medicine is referred to as the medicine of five I’s: instability, immobility, incontinence, intellectual disturbances, and iatrogeny.

For geriatric medicine, multimorbidity is typical when more diseases occur in an elderly person at the same time or one disease causes

another. Disorders of balance and of mobility, and subsequent falls are very common in old age. Falls affect 20-30% of people aged 65

years and their number increases with age. Approximately 30% of the falls occur repeatedly. They are the leading cause of death in the

absence of injury and remain an unfavorable prognostic factor for subsequent years of life.

Unterberger-Fukuda test, calendar age, phenomenology of falls, geriatrics.

Keywords: iatrogeny, multimorbidity, medicine of 5 I‘s, vertebrobasilar territory, cerebellar functions, Hautant‘s test, Romberg‘s tests,

Published: January 1, 2013  Show citation