GeriQBank · Topic
Falls, gait and balance, dizziness, vertigo, syncope and orthostatic hypotension.
Set 3 or more times
A fall is defined as an “unexpected event in which the patient comes to rest on the ground, floor, or lower level”. Recurrent falls means two or more falls in twelve months. About one-third of community-dwelling adults aged 65 and above…
A fall is defined as an unexpected event in which the person comes to rest on the ground, floor, or lower level. Syncope and seizure must first be excluded by history. About one-third of community-dwelling adults ≥65 years fall each…
Set twice
Balance (equilibrium) is the ability to maintain the centre of mass of the body within the base of support with minimal postural sway. Balance depends on the integration of proprioception, vestibular input, visual input, central…
Orthostatic (postural) hypotension is defined as a drop in systolic blood pressure of 20 mmHg or more on moving from a lying to a standing position. It occurs in about 20% of older persons. Many are asymptomatic, but the impaired…
Textbook coverage statement. Pathy’s 6th edition covers carotid sinus hypersensitivity in Chapter 33 – Hypotension (pp. 419, 423–424), with sections on definition and measurement, pathophysiology, prevalence, symptoms, diagnostic…
BPPV is characterised by momentary, short-lived episodes of vertigo occurring on assuming specific head positions, particularly with neck extension, and typically appearing when lying down on one ear, bending forward, or looking up. It…
Falls assessment tools serve three distinct purposes: (i) screening / case-finding, (ii) risk stratification, and (iii) objective measurement of gait and balance deficits to target intervention and monitor progress. No single tool is…
Set once
This patient has four independent fall risk domains: diabetes (neuropathy, retinopathy, hypoglycaemia, autonomic dysfunction), hypertension (drug-induced hypotension; orthostatic hypotension is commonest in uncontrolled hypertension),…
Falls result from an interaction between intrinsic factors (arising within the patient) and extrinsic factors (medications, environment, assistive devices). Rarely is a fall due to a single factor, and risk rises exponentially as…
Textbook coverage statement. The term “post-fall syndrome” is not used by name in the uploaded chapters of Pathy’s 6th edition or Kane’s Essentials. However, all of its components are described — fear of falling, loss of…
Textbook coverage statement. The term “long lie” is not used by name in the uploaded chapters of Pathy’s 6th edition or Kane’s Essentials. Kane does, however, make it a key history point — “Could the patient get up, and if so, how long…
The gait cycle is the sequence of events between one event of one limb and the recurrence of the same event in the same limb. It has two phases: stance phase and swing phase. Stance phase — the period when the foot is in contact with…
Textbook coverage statement. Pathy’s 6th edition covers this in Chapter 52 – Syncope and Non-Epileptic Attacks (pp. 664– 673) and Chapter 33 – Hypotension (pp. 419–426). The uploaded files contain Chapters 75, 78 and 79 in full plus the…
Vertigo is defined as “an hallucination of movement” and is the cardinal manifestation of a disordered vestibular system. Dizziness is a lay term meaning “a feeling of being in a whirl or in a daze or as if about to fall”, and is…
The dizziness component overlaps with Q12; this answer therefore concentrates on the practical evaluation algorithm and on drop attacks, which are examined separately. A drop attack is described as sudden leg weakness causing a fall…
After an acute unilateral vestibular upset the patient experiences vertigo, but symptoms are usually short-lived and resolve in 6–12 weeks by processes collectively known as cerebral compensation. Vestibular rehabilitation exists to…
Falls are multifactorial and episodic. Clinic-based tests (TUG, Tinetti, Berg) give only a single snapshot in an artificial setting. Sensors provide continuous, objective, real-world ("free-living") data on gait, balance and behaviour.…
Dizziness in the Elderly Coverage note: the uploaded textbooks address dizziness within the chapters on falls, syncope and comprehensive geriatric assessment rather than as a dedicated chapter. Points 1–14 are textbook-derived; points…
No university frequency data yet
Definition and mechanism. BPPV is the commonest cause of recurrent vertigo in older adults — brief episodic vertigo provoked by a change in head position relative to gravity, caused by displaced otoconia from the utricular macula…