Falls-risk in senior women after radical treatment of breast cancer
Introduction : It is estimated that 35–40% people over the age of 65 experience at least one fall per year; for those over the age of 80 this increases to 50%, and for residents of institutional care facilities, to 60%. Aim of the research : To evaluate the functional capacity and susceptibility t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Termedia Publishing House
2017-06-01
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| Series: | Studia Medyczne |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.termedia.pl/Falls-risk-in-senior-women-after-radical-treatment-of-breast-cancer,67,30223,1,1.html |
| Summary: | Introduction : It is estimated that 35–40% people over the age of 65 experience at least one fall per year; for those over the age of 80 this increases to 50%, and for residents of institutional care facilities, to 60%.
Aim of the research : To evaluate the functional capacity and susceptibility to falling among women over 60 years of age, who had been treated for breast cancer.
Material and methods : The study group comprised 173 women aged 61–85 years (mean: 68.75 years), all breast cancer survivors treated at the Holy Cross Cancer Centre in Kielce. Functional efficiency was measured using the Senior Fitness Test (SFT), and the falls-risk assessment was carried out using the POMA Tinetti test. An additional questionnaire was used to assess the anxiety associated with falls. The relationship between functional capacity and the falls-risk, and between the amount of medication used and the falls-risk, were also assessed.
Results : In all SFT tests, the women had lower scores compared to the recommended standards. Medium and high falls-risk were reported in 27% of patients. Apart from an increase in falls-risk, the women reported poorer results in all physical fitness tests. An increase in the number of medications taken was associated with lower Tinetti test results.
Conclusions: Women treated for breast cancer were exposed to a high falls-risk. The treatment management applied to women with breast cancer adversely affected their functional capacities. Furthermore, an increase in the amount of medication taken by post-mastectomy women resulted in a still higher exposure to falls-risk. Task-oriented, physical rehabilitation programmes should therefore promptly be introduced to address the problem of falls and resultant fractures among senior post-mastectomy women. |
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| ISSN: | 1899-1874 2300-6722 |