BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of falls and chronic pain is high among the elderly with major consequences for quality of life. Checking the association between these two problems may help preventing incapacities and distress. This study aimed at identifying the prevalence of falls among the elderly with pain lasting more than one year and at evaluating the association of falls and pain location, intensity and frequency. METHOD: This was a transversal study using data from the Health, Wellbeing and Ageing project. Dependent variables were: occurrence and number of falls in the last 12 months. Independent variables were: location, intensity and frequency of the "most uncomfortable" pain lasting more than one year. Rao Scott test, indicated for population sampling, was used to check the association. RESULTS: We evaluated 213 elderly people above 60 years of age with pain lasting more than one year and who answered about falls in the last year. Its prevalence was 56.29%. Results have shown that elderly people with severe or moderate pain lasting more than one year have reported a higher number of falls as compared to elderly people with mild pain. No association was found between site and frequency of pain episodes and falls in the last year. CONCLUSION: Better pain control may decrease the risk of falls in the elderly population with chronic pain; these two problems have to be adequately evaluated and controlled by health professionals.
Accidents with falls; Assistance to the elderly; Pain; Pain measurement
