In Parkinson’s disease (PD), falls and subsequent physical injuries are frequent causes of morbidity and mortality. We investigated the characteristics of falls and physical injuries in Korean patients with PD.

This study included 239 patients with PD. Using the medical records and interviews, we studied the characteristics of fall and its consequences retrospectively.

Among the 239 patients with PD, 129 (54.0%) patients had a history of fall. The mean interval between the disease onset and the first fall was 15.3 months. Among them, 83 patients (64.3%) fell more than twice. Eighty-six patients (66.7%) had physical injuries and 21 patients (15.3%) had fractures including 7 with hip fracture and 7 with arm fracture. Patients with physical injuries fell earlier and repetitively. They tended to fall during the night, toward lateral or posterior direction, and were unable to make protective hand movements.

Elderly PD patients with long duration have a high risk of fall. To prevent the physical injuries, the clinicians should try to reduce the off time and advice the patients and caregivers to limit physical activities during the night.