Do fall predictors in middle aged and older adults predict fall status in persons 50+ with fibromyalgia? An exploratory study

We explored potential predictors of fall status in 70 communitydwelling persons ≥50 years of age with fibromyalgia (FM). Over 40% of the sample reported one or more falls in the year prior to the study. A logistic regressionmodel using 10 variables known to predict falls inmiddle aged and older persons predicted 45% of the variance in fall status. Three variables offered significant independent contributions to the overall model predicting fall status: perception of postural instability, balance performance, and executive function processing speed. The results support prior work in both nonclinical and clinical populations ofmiddle aged and older adults indicating that falls are associated with multiple risk factors. Prospective designs with larger samples are needed to (a) validate and extend these findings, and (b) identify risk factors related to fall status that are unique to persons with FM.