Correlation between dyspnea, risk of falling and quality of life in different age groups

Background. Functional mobility and impaired balance are significant risk factors for falls. Many research studies investigate the link between falling and contributing variables. Dyspnea has been linked to emotional, cognitive, and physical problems such as memory loss, poor concentration, sweating, anorexia, weariness, sadness, panic, suffocating, anxiety, and diminished mastery. These findings indicate that “dyspnea is caused by both physiological and psychological alterations that could be addressed to assist in reducing these unpleasant manifestations.” Methods. An observational cross-sectional study was designed to assess breathlessness, fall risk, and quality of life in 638 participants across various age groups. The Dyspnea-12 Items Questionnaire, Fall Efficacy Scale, and Short Form-36 Items were administered in Arabic to collect data. Results. Analysis revealed a lack of correlation between dyspnea scale scores and all aspects of the SF-36 quality of life scale in adolescents. Conversely, a significant negative correlation emerged between the Fall Efficacy Scale and SF-36 scores across all age groups, suggesting that heightened fear of falling is associated with diminished quality of life. In geriatrics, both dyspnea and fall efficacy scores exhibited negative correlations with SF-36 scores, indicating that difficulties with breathing and fear of falling adversely impact quality of life. When analyzing all groups collectively, negative correlations persisted between dyspnea, fall efficacy, and SF-36 scores. Conclusion. Dyspnea and fear of falling are critical factors influencing quality of life across different age groups, with pronounced effects in geriatrics. The findings reveal that while fear of falling adversely impacts quality of life for adolescents, youth, and older adults alike, dyspnea is significantly correlated with quality of life only in the geriatric population. Trial registration. This study was retrospectively registered with Clinicaltrials.gov under the identifier NCT06303700 on 12 March 2024.