Brain changes cause falls by elderly

FLORENCE, Italy, March 18 (UPI) -- Many think elderly falls are physical problems but a study coordinated by the University of Florence found balance and mobility are linked to the brain.

White matter changes in the brain, also known as leukoaraiosis, are frequently seen in older people and differ in severity.

The three-year study coordinated by the University of Florence, involved 639 men and women between the ages of 65 and 84 who underwent brain scans and walking and balance tests. Of the group, 284 had mild age-related white matter changes, 197 moderate changes, and 158 severe changes.

The study, published in Neurology, found people with severe white matter changes were twice as likely to score poorly on the walking and balance tests as those people with mild white matter changes. The study also found people with severe changes were twice as likely as the mild group to have a history of falls. The moderate group was 1 1/2 times as likely as the mild group to have a history of falls.

"Walking difficulties and falls are major symptoms of people with white matter changes and a significant cause of illness and death in the elderly," study author Dr. Hansjoerg Baezner of the University of Heidelberg in Mannheim, Germany said in a statement. "Exercise may have the potential to reduce the risk of these problems."