跌倒是很严重的, poorly understood threat to people with heart disease

跌倒对有心脏问题的人来说是一大风险, 健康专家需要做更多的工作来了解和预防这种危险, 一份新的报告称.

“摔倒是很常见的。. Sarah Goodlin, senior author of the scientific statement from the 美国心脏协会. 它们与严重的伤害有关, 对摔倒的恐惧会限制一个人的生活质量.

"And falls are particularly common in adults with cardiovascular disease,古德林说, medical director of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the VA Portland Health Care System in Oregon. “然而，他们却没有得到足够的重视."

的 报告, published Thursday in the AHA journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, said basic information is lacking on how often and why people with heart disease fall, 以及他们受伤的严重程度.

2018年的一项研究 published in that same Circulation journal estimated that 60% faced a moderate to high risk of falling. That's based on records from 2,456 people hospitalized with heart disease in one Minnesota county.

整体, 跌倒的潜在危害是显而易见的, 报告的合著者斯蒂芬妮·特里斯说, 她是北卡罗莱纳大学威尔明顿分校的护士科学家. 疾病控制和预防中心表示 大约3600万次跌倒 每年在老年人中报告的. About 3 million of those who fall will end up in an emergency room for treatment, 超过32个,000人将死去.

"Falls, especially in older adults, can be absolutely devastating," Turrise说.

Problems can persist even after someone has recovered and becomes afraid of falling again, Goodlin说. That can start a vicious cycle where older adults with cardiovascular problems become less active and more prone to problems, Turrise说. “为了让他们保持健康，他们必须积极活动."

心脏问题会直接或间接导致跌倒.

心律问题, 例如, 可能会导致血压下降, 会导致人失去意识吗. 糖尿病患者摔倒的风险也可能更高, 谁可能会因为神经病变而脚麻木, 或者是中风恢复期的病人, 谁会有弱点呢, Turrise说.

报告称，心力衰竭患者, a condition in which the heart and circulation do not circulate blood adequately, and irregular heartbeats called arrhythmias might be at higher risk of falling than those without these conditions.

Medications to treat cardiovascular conditions can cause side effects such as dizziness, 视力模糊, 混淆或其他问题, Turrise说.

"I can't tell you how many older adults are on diuretics for heart failure or for blood pressure management,她说, 这会增加他们的排尿频率, 他们急着去洗手间，结果摔倒了." Diuretics also can cause the person's blood pressure to drop when they stand, 让他们头昏眼花, Goodlin说.

医疗团队需要注意，Turrise说. “我们需要意识到，我们需要采取行动."

古德林说，人们可能羞于承认自己摔倒了. So, a "really simple" first step for a health care team would be simply asking patients about falls. 卫生保健专业人员也应该观察病人走路, 如果他们似乎失去了平衡, consider sending them to a physical therapist for a more in-depth evaluation.

"One of the fundamental things that we advocate is checking blood pressure when the person has been standing for three minutes,古德林说. That can alert a care team to health problems or medications that might be causing worrisome dips.

她说，团队还需要全盘考虑. A cardiologist who rules out a heart-related cause for a fall shouldn't dismiss the problem, because "it's still important to sort out why the person fell and to intervene to try to prevent the next fall."

对病人, Goodlin说, 最重要的是要对医生和护士诚实, 即使他们不好意思提起这件事, and to say they have fallen or that they're afraid of falling when they walk.

"的re are things that can be done to improve their situation,她说. "Certain exercises can improve balance and safety, so working with a physical therapist can help."

It's essential for people who are given assistive devices to use them, Goodlin说. Some people don't want to use a cane or a walker because they think it makes them look old. "You look a whole lot older in a hospital bed with a hip fracture than you look being safe,她提醒她的病人.

Turrise说，人们也可以询问专家, 比如他们的医生或药剂师, 检查他们的药物，看看是什么导致了跌倒.

More research could lead to better ways to protect and treat people, the 报告 says. 与此同时, "there's really a partnership between adults who have cardiovascular disease and their doctors and nurses,古德林说. "Adults need to feel comfortable talking to doctors and nurses about falls and safety."

If you have questions or comments about this 美国心脏协会 线上电子游戏飞禽走兽 story, please email (电子邮件保护).