(1543) Analyzing COVID-19 Fall Rates Among Geriatric Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has been correlated with increased health risks amongst elderly populations. Elderly groups were forced to live in isolation and practiced more sedentary lifestyles. Current studies on fall risks during the COVID-19 pandemic have been inconclusive with variable results. This systematic review aims to look at trends in elderly fall rates after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: PubMed and Embase were the two primary databases used in this systematic review were sorted out through Rayyan Software. The final search terms are in the table below. Blind was turned on and reviewers independently screened articles based on eligibility. In each database, synonyms of the words “COVID-19,” “elderly,” and “fall rate” were used to gather results.
To be eligible, articles must have been in English, focused on elderly groups aged >65, and included falls from level height. Studies must have had two data collection periods: one period before March 2020, and another period after March 2020. Articles also needed to contain initial sample sizes and fall incidences for both periods. Accidental/recreational falls were ineligible. The systematic review was registered on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42023418490).

Results: Out of 913 total articles, 6 were deemed eligible for review. A total of 27,055 patients were included. The pooled analysis showed that the odds of falls decreased during the pandemic, OR= 0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.81, 0.90], P < 0.001 compared to pre-pandemic. The difference in fall rates was statistically significant. A heterogeneity test indicated that there was high variability in the data, as I2 =88%. In sensitivity analysis, removing the article with the highest weight didn’t have much impact, as it brought heterogeneity down to 85% with OR= 0.93, 95% CI [0.87, 0.98], p=0.01. It is notable that patients had co-morbid conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, which may have impacted the fall rates.

Conclusions: This review shows that elderly fall rates were not adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although elderly adults may have lived more sedentary lifestyles in isolation, fall rates decreased during the lockdown period. Although the data was shown to be highly variable, it indicates a negative trend in falls during the pandemic.