Does cardiac disease increase the risk of falls?

Short answer is yes (see below for the long answer). That is to mean people with various different cardiac conditions develop secondary complications (see below) that increase risk of non-cardiac, “mechanical falls”: trips, slips, loss of balance and fall related complications, e.g. bone fractures.

What should we do about it? If you have a chronic cardiac condition and you fall due to passing out or dizziness, speak with your internist, family doctor or cardiologist, else speak with a physician professional specializing in slips, trips and loss of balance types of falls to provide you with a thorough biomechanical assessment of your gait and balance.

-Dr Atanelov, MD, CEO Steady Strides, Fall Prevention and Stroke Rehabilitation Medical Institute

Long Answer:

It is widely known that falls are a leading cause of preventable death and injuries among older adults in general. There is emerging evidence, however that cardiac conditions specifically are also considered risk factors for falls and fall-related sequelae. Atrial fibrillation, acute myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure , for example, were shown to be risk factors for fall related mortality in older adults aged 75 and over (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22257741 ). Frailty, a known risk factor for falls, hospitalization, and mortality (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)31786-6/fulltext), was found to be prevalent in 50% to 54% of older adults with severe coronary artery disease or heart failure (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19463525). Sarcopenia, another geriatric risk factor associated with falls and fractures (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30993881) was found 20% more frequently in CHF patients vs healthy individuals (Fülster S, et al. Muscle wasting in patients with chronic heart failure: results from the studies investigating co-morbidities aggravating heart failure (SICA-HF) Eur Heart J. 2013;34:512–9). Furthermore, low bone mineral density was associated with ejection fracture in heart failure patients putting them at increased the risk of fractures after falling (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18977041).