Yamaguchi Kiyoshi
The University of Tokyo Hospital, Department of Geriatric medicine.
Clin Calcium. 2008 Nov;18(11):1588-93.
People with cognitive impairment are at about 2 to 3 times higher risk of falling compared with cognitively intact elderly. Incidence of falls among patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is high, nevertheless the clinical feature common in patients with mild to moderate AD is the absence of motor impairment. Recent studies suggest that the divided attention markedly impairs the ability of patients with AD to regulate the gait. Falls are particularly common in Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) patients and may aid diagnosis, and the falls are associated with parkinsonism and other unclear factors. Treatment studies evaluating fall reduction strategies in dementia patients are a priority.