For elderly, opioids tied to higher risk of fall-related injuries and deaths

Elderly people who are prescribed opioids may be at higher risk for injuries from falls, some of which may be fatal, a Canadian analysis of trauma cases suggests.

Researchers studied more than 67,000 injured patients over age 65 who were admitted to trauma centres in Quebec between 2004 and 2014. The average age was 81.

Overall, people with a recent opioid prescription were 2.4 times more likely to have been injured in a fall than other trauma patients, the study found. | READ MORE