Table 5 Quality of the risk factors for falling upon comparing fallers to non-fallers according the GRADE approach (based on our systematic review). Variables evaluated in different studies were heterogeneous, therefore only age, frailty, previous falls and polypharmacy could be analyzed
From: Renal disease and accidental falls: a review of published evidence
Outcome | No. of studies | Design | No quality | Inconsistency | Indirectness | No effect size | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age | 4 studies (700 subjects) | Prospective cohort studies | Very serious | Serious | Serious | Very serious | Very low |
Frailty | 2 studies define this specifically, four others are related (857 subjects) | Prospective cohort and cross sectional studies | No | Little or no | No | No | Low |
Previous falls | 3 studies (405 subjects) | Prospective cohort studies | Little or no | No | Little or no | No | Low |
Polypharmacy | 3 studies (3598 total subjects; 1905 in case and control study) | Prospective cohort and retrospective case–control studies | Serious | Serious | Very serious | Serious | Very low |