S1753 Recurrent Falls: A Mortality Risk Predictor in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Introduction: With the increasing population of elderly patients living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), frailty has become a significant determinant of clinical outcomes. Contributing factors to frailty in IBD include chronic inflammation, sarcopenia, and prolonged corticosteroid use. Although there has been no consensus on a single definition of frailty, it is consistently associated with a higher risk of adverse events such as falls. The impact of recurrent falls on mortality in IBD, however, remains unclear. This study aims to fill that gap by examining the relationship between recurrent falls and mortality in this population, building on prior research into frailty. Methods: Data from the US Collaborative Network-TriNetX was used to evaluate the impact of recurrent falls on mortality risk in patients with IBD. Patients were divided into 2 cohorts using the appropriate International Classification of Disease (International Classification of Diseases-10) code: patients with IBD and recurrent falls and those without falls. The cohort with recurrent falls was propensity score-matched with the control group based on demographics, laboratory investigations (e.g., C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate), medications (e.g., prednisone and biologics) and varying comorbidities. Patients were then followed for 1 year and 3 years to assess the risk of mortality. Results: After propensity score matching, each cohort consisted of 11189 patients with similar baseline characteristics. Each cohort had 75% of patients of White ethnicity and the mean age at index event was 70 years. Our analysis revealed that patients with IBD who experienced recurrent falls had a significantly higher risk of mortality at 1 year (HR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.14-1.32, P < 0.0001) which increased to 1.3 (HR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.25-1.40, P < 0.0003) at 3 years. Additionally, our analysis of the cohorts prior to propensity score matching found that the cohort of patients with recurrent falls had a significantly increased occurrence of Vitamin D Deficiency (44% vs 20%, P < 0.0001), osteoporosis (33% vs 8%) and protein energy malnutrition (17% vs 4%). Conclusion: Patients with IBD, particularly the elderly, who experience recurrent falls have a significantly increased risk of mortality and prompt identification of fall risks and management of risk factors are paramount for improving survival.