Abstract

Background: Hypertension is one of the most common medical conditions in the elderly, and antihypertensive medications used to treat hypertension are among the most widely prescribed drugs for this age group. There are raised concerns about the risk of falls associated with antihypertensive medications in older adults. Objectives: The objectives of this study are as follows: (1) To assess the risk of falls associated with antihypertensive medications among the elderly in urban areas of Puducherry and (2) to assess the postural blood pressure changes among the elderly in urban areas of Puducherry.
Materials and Methods: We conducted a case–control study in the Urban Health Training Center in the field practice area of our college, Puducherry, between January and June 2017. Based on purposive sampling, cases and controls were selected for the study. After obtaining written informed consent, a pre-designed and a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was administered.
Results: Among our cases, we found an increased risk of falls with current prescribing of calcium channel blockers (adjusted odds ratio 1.11; 95% confidence interval 0.83–1.47) while we found a reduced risk for prescribing of other drugs. There was no significant association of falls with orthostatic hypotension. Conclusion: Falls/orthostatic hypotension is not routinely looked for in primary care practices. There should be regular screening for orthostatic hypotension and falls among the elderly on antihypertensive so as to avoid the risk of falls.