TY - JOUR PY - 2019// TI - Postural balance, muscle strength, and history of falls in end-stage renal disease patients living with a kidney transplant: A cross-sectional study JO - Gait and posture A1 - Zanotto, Tobia A1 - Gobbo, Stefano A1 - Bullo, Valentina A1 - Vendramin, Barbara A1 - Roma, Enrico A1 - Duregon, Federica A1 - Bocalini, Danilo Sales A1 - Di Blasio, Andrea A1 - Cugusi, Lucia A1 - Furian, Lucrezia A1 - Di Bella, Caterina A1 - Neunhaeuserer, Daniel A1 - Battista, Francesca A1 - Bergamin, Marco A1 - Ermolao, Andrea SP - 358 EP - 363 VL - 76 IS - N2 - BACKGROUND: End-stage renal disease patients living with a kidney transplant (KT) often present with frailty, functional disability, and mobility impairments that may result in a high risk of falls. Postural balance and muscle strength are implicated in the etiology of falls in the geriatric population, and both may be impaired in KT patients. RESEARCH QUESTION: We conducted a cross-sectional investigation to estimate the prevalence of falls, as well as to explore the association between postural balance, muscle strength and history of falls in end-stage renal disease patients living with a KT.

METHODS: Fifty-nine prevalent KT patients (age = 53.2 ± 11 years) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Participants were classified as fallers/non-fallers and underwent an objectively-measured assessment of postural balance on a stabilometric platform in eyes open (EO), eyes closed (EC), and dual-task (DT) conditions. Center of pressure (CoP) variables were taken for the analysis. In addition, participants underwent isometric (IM) and isokinetic (IK) assessments of lower limb muscle strength on a multi-joint evaluation system.

RESULTS: Thirty-four percent of the study participants reported at least one fall in the previous 12 months. In logistic regression analysis, CoP velocity in EO (OR: 1.23, 95 % CI: 1.06-1.43, p = .007), and IK ankle dorsiflexion strength (OR: 0.87, 95 % CI: 0.77-0.99, p = .034) were independently associated with increased odds of falling. SIGNIFICANCE: This cross-sectional study indicates that patients living with a KT presented with a prevalence of falls indicative of a high risk of falling. Postural balance and muscle strength are exercise-modifiable factors and further research is warranted to establish to what extent these measures may be implicated in the etiology of falling in this patient group.

Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0966-6362 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2019.12.031 ID - ref1 ER -