TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2020//
TI  - Falls in older adults: the new pandemic in the post COVID-19 era?
JO  - Medical hypotheses
A1  - De La Cámara, Miguel Ángel
A1  - Jiménez-Fuente, Augusto
A1  - Pardos, Ana Isabel
SP  - e110321
EP  - e110321
VL  - 145
IS  - 
N2  - Dear editor    The COVID-19 has led that most countries impose lockdown or quarantine and several mobility restrictions that affect the physical activity levels of older adults, increasing sedentary behavior and physical inactivity [1]. In addition, even if the quarantine and restrictions are lifted, the access to physical exercise in older adults may be limited in the absence of a vaccine protecting this population due to fear of contagion. Much of them decline participation in physical exercise because they want to thereby avoiding contracting the COVID-19 (fear to close contact with other participants or to touch the material or equipment) [2]. As consequence, physical health in older people is negatively affected during the confinement caused by this pandemic [3].     Falls are common and may lead to deleterious effects in health among older adults [4]. Physical inactivity may increase and exacerbating the risk of disabilities and it is one of the risk factors leading to falls [5]. On the contrary, physical activity exercises have the potential to significantly reduce fall rate and risk in healthy older adults [6]. The evolution of this virus is unknown and the end of this pandemic can be extended during several years [7], and therefore, lockdowns, restrictions, and social distancing may stay for a long time while an effective treatment or vaccine arrives. This may affect the physical activity levels and as a result, it may lead to a higher risk of falls and incidence of disability in the near future in older people [1]. For this reason, we hypothesize that in the coming months and years there will be a substantial increase in the number of falls in older adults as consequences of less physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. This fact will lead to an increase in deaths and disabilities...<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0306-9877
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2020.110321
ID  - ref1
ER  -