Parkinson's Parkinson's Fall Prevention and Safety 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the most common serious injury resulting from falls in Parkinson's disease patients?
- Concussion
- Hip fracture (Correct answer)
- Wrist fracture
- Spinal cord injury
Correct answer: Hip fracture
Hip fractures are the most common serious injury from falls in PD patients and can significantly worsen long-term prognosis.
Question 2: The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test is used in Parkinson's disease primarily to assess:
- Cognitive decline
- Medication effectiveness
- Fall risk and mobility (Correct answer)
- Tremor severity
Correct answer: Fall risk and mobility
The TUG test — timing a patient standing, walking 3 meters, turning, and returning to sit — is a reliable predictor of fall risk in PD.
Question 3: Freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease increases fall risk primarily because:
- It causes excessive sweating that makes floors slippery
- The sudden inability to move forward disrupts balance and momentum (Correct answer)
- It only occurs during sleep
- It causes involuntary backward movement
Correct answer: The sudden inability to move forward disrupts balance and momentum
Freezing of gait causes sudden motor blocks where feet feel glued to the floor, disrupting balance and momentum and frequently triggering forward falls.
Question 4: Which environmental modification is most recommended for Parkinson's patients to reduce fall risk at home?
- Installing thick carpeting throughout the home
- Using dim lighting to avoid glare
- Removing loose rugs and clutter from walkways (Correct answer)
- Adding extra furniture to provide more handholds
Correct answer: Removing loose rugs and clutter from walkways
Loose rugs and clutter are major trip hazards; removing them is a primary fall prevention strategy since PD patients shuffle and cannot easily lift their feet over obstacles.
Question 5: Which medication class used in Parkinson's disease is most associated with increased fall risk due to orthostatic hypotension?
- MAO-B inhibitors
- Dopamine agonists (Correct answer)
- Anticholinergics
- COMT inhibitors
Correct answer: Dopamine agonists
Dopamine agonists can cause orthostatic hypotension — a sudden blood pressure drop when standing — leading to dizziness and increased fall risk.
Question 6: The 'pull test' performed during a neurological examination in Parkinson's disease assesses:
- Muscle strength in the arms
- Postural reflexes and retropulsion tendency (Correct answer)
- Rigidity in the neck muscles
- Coordination of finger movements
Correct answer: Postural reflexes and retropulsion tendency
The pull test evaluates postural instability by pulling the patient backward — a key predictor of fall risk and an important measure of disease severity.
Question 7: Approximately what percentage of Parkinson's disease patients experience at least one fall per year?
- 15-20%
- 30-35%
- 60-70% (Correct answer)
- 85-90%
Correct answer: 60-70%
Studies consistently show that 60-70% of PD patients fall at least once annually, making fall prevention one of the most critical management priorities.
Parkinson's Parkinson's Fall Prevention and Safety 1
What is the most common serious injury resulting from falls in Parkinson's disease patients?