Falls that result in a visit to the emergency room could be a sign of infection, rather than clumsiness, according to research presented at IDWeek 2015 from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Researchers examined 161 patients who visited the ER because of a fall and were then diagnosed with an infection. The most common falls-related infections were:
- Urinary tract infections (44.1 percent)
- Bloodstream infection (39.8 percent)
- Respiratory infection (5.6 percent)
"Over the years I've been struck by the fact that some of the more serious infections treated were in people who came to the hospital because they fell," Farrin Manian, MD, the studies principle investigator, said. "Even though many of the patients had vague early signs of an infection, such as weakness or lethargy, it was the fall that brought them in."
People with an infection may fall because of low blood pressure caused by the infection.