- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Food Allergies Stir a Mother to Action
- Overweight Moms More Likely to Have Asthmatic Kids
- Folic Acid Might Offer Allergy Relief
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- 38% of U.S. Adults Use Alternative Treatments
- When Healing Becomes a Commodity
- Fish Oil's Benefits Remain Elusive
- ANIMAL CARE
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- Beware of Dog Bites
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- BONES & JOINTS
- A Winning Strategy to Beat Spring Sporting Injuries
- A Little Drink May Be Good for Your Bones
- Health Tip: Prevent Back Injury
- CANCER
- 25% of Teen Girls Vaccinated for HPV
- Study Cites Gains in Gall Bladder Cancer Treatment
- Immune Therapy May Aid Kids With Neuroblastoma
- CAREGIVING
- Organ Donation Policies Vary Among Children's Hospitals
- Study Casts Doubt on Influential Hospital Safety Survey
- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome as Deadly as Ever
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- High Blood Fat Levels Common in Americans
- Support Network May Play Role in Benefits of Drinking
- Drink a Little Wine, Live a Little Longer
- COSMETIC
- Contact Lenses Boost Kids' Self-Image
- Mouse Study Finds Molecule That Tells Hair to Grow
- Study Evaluates Laser Therapies for Hair Removal
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Hormones May Be to Blame for Women's Cavity Rates
- Health Tip: When Your Child is Teething
- Health Tip: Diabetes and Gum Disease
- DIABETES
- Fish Twice a Week Cuts Diabetics' Kidney Risks
- Red-Grape Compound May Improve Diabetes
- Chamomile Tea May Ward Off Diabetes Damage
- DIET, NUTRITION
- The 3LS Wellness Program for Reversing Chronic Symptoms and Creating Lasting Health
- Eating Less May Slow Aging Process
- Trans Fat Labeling Gets Tricky
- DISABILITIES
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Sunken, Unexploded Bombs Pose Cancer Risk
- Vitamin D Deficit May Trigger MS Risk Gene
- Hurricane Threats: Time to Batten Down the Hatches
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Half of U.S. Adults Lack 20/20 Vision
- Sports Eye Injuries Leading Cause of Blindness in Youths
- Kids Think Glasses Make Others Look Smart, Honest
- FITNESS
- Occupational Therapy Plus Exercise Benefits Osteoarthritis
- Moderate Aerobic Exercise Lowers Diabetics' Liver Fat
- Any Exercise Good After a Heart Attack
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Soothing Imagery May Help Rid Some Kids of Stomach Pain
- New Guidelines Issued for Management of IBS
- Traditional Nonsurgical GERD Treatments Not Impressive
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Want Better Health in the New Year, Add Exercise to Your Day
- Quit Smoking the Holistic Way
- Man Dies of Brain Inflammation Caused by Deer Tick Virus
- HEAD & NECK
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Imaging Sheds Light on How Acupuncture Works
- Save Your Aging Brain, Try Surfing The Web
- The Internet Is Becoming One-Stop Shopping for Health Help
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Lack of Vitamin D Linked to High Blood Pressure
- Obese People Seem to Do Better With Heart Disease
- Western Diet Linked To Heart Disease, Metabolic Syndrome
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Surgical Masks Could Prevent Flu, Maybe
- Bacterial Infections May Succumb to Honey
- Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu
- KID'S HEALTH
- Working Intensely Early on May Help Autistic Kids
- Exercise Eases Obesity and Anger in Kids
- Decline of Underweight Children in U.S. Continue to Fall
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Soy Linked to Low Sperm Count
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- More Vitamin C May Mean Less Chance of Gout
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Worries About Weight Are Tied to Teen Suicide Tries
- Consciousness Helps the Mind and Body Work Together
- The Unmedicated Mind
- PREGNANCY
- Sleeping Could Help Women Lose The Baby Fat
- Acupuncture May Relieve Acid Indigestation In Pregnancy
- Alternative Treatments May Boost IVF Success
- SENIORS
- Vitamin D May Help Keep Aging at Bay
- For Older Walkers, Faster Is Better
- Boost In Elderly Population Will Be Felt Worldwide
For All Their Plusses, Pets Pose a Risk for Falls, Too
By eHolistic.com Published: 03/26/2009
THURSDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- Dogs and cats may be favored companions of many Americans, but they're also apparently the cause of falls that results in thousands of injuries each year.
U.S. health officials report that 86,629 people annually are injured in dog- and cat-related falls. That's 240 people a day who wind up in hospital emergency rooms, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"I get asked a lot if pets are a fall hazard," said Judy Stevens, a senior epidemiologist at the CDC and first author of the report. "We found that of the 8 million falls from all causes, about 1 percent were related to cats and dogs."
Acknowledging that pets provide benefits, too, Stevens said that the CDC wanted to make people aware that they can be a fall hazard, and the benefits need to be balanced with these risks.
Pets have been linked in several studies to a variety of health benefits, including help in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reducing feelings of loneliness, depression and anxiety and increasing opportunities for socializing.
In 2006, an estimated 43 million U.S. households included dogs, and 37.5 million households had cats. In addition, almost 64 percent of households with pets had more than one pet, according to the report, published in the March 27 issue of the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
For the study, Stevens and her colleagues collected data on falls from 66 emergency departments across the country from 2001 to 2006. Dogs accounted for 88 percent of the injuries from falls and cats for nearly all of the rest.
Among people injured by dogs, 31 percent tripped over the dog, and 21 percent fell after being pushed or pulled by a dog. Among injuries involving cats, 66 percent were attributed to falling or tripping over the animal.
Women were twice as likely to be injured as men. Those most often injured were either younger than 14 years or between 35 and 54 years old, the researchers found. However, the highest rate of fractures occurred in people 75 to 85 years old. Of people who required hospitalization from a pet-related injury, about 80 percent had a broken bone.
Most falls involving dogs, 62 percent, occurred at home; 16 percent happened in a street or a park. Pet paraphernalia was cited as the cause of about 9 percent of the falls at home.
As for cats, 86 percent of falls involving felines happened in the home, 17 percent of them while chasing the cat.
One way to reduce the risk for dog-related falls, Stevens said, would be to enroll a dog in obedience training, which should be able to stop, or at least lessen, the animal's pushing, pulling and jumping.
"You can also prevent falls by removing tripping hazards like pet items," she said.
Colin Milner, chief executive of the International Council on Active Aging, said that keeping fit as you age should also help reduce the likelihood of falls.
People need to keep their homes clean and uncluttered, he said. And, when picking a pet, Milner suggested trying to match the pet to your personality and, perhaps, choosing a more mellow rather than a more excitable pet.
One reason people fall is that they become less coordinated as they age, Milner said. "Many of these fall could be preventable if you had better balance," he said. "The number of falls could be reduced with a very simple balance and strength-training program."
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have more on preventing injury.
SOURCES: Judy Stevens, Ph.D., senior epidemiologist, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta; Colin Milner, CEO, International Council on Active Aging, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; March 27, 2009, CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Last Updated: March 26, 2009
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