Tinetti balance performance is associated with mortality in older adults with late-onset Parkinson’s disease: a longitudinal study

BACKGROUND: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with a 3-fold mortality risk, which is closely related to advancing age. Evidence is lacking regarding the factors associated with the risks of mortality or nursing-home (NH) admission, in elderly patients with PD. We aimed at identifying the clinical characteristics associated with these outcomes, in older community-dwelling patients with late-onset PD. METHODS: Retrospective, observational analysis of data from geriatric day hospital patients. Motor assessment included Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) part III score, Tinetti Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA) balance and gait tests, and gait speed. Levodopa equivalent dose, comorbidity, cognitive performance, Activities of Daily Living performance were examined. Cox proportional hazards models were performed to identify the factors associated with mortality and NH admission rate (maximum follow-up time = 5 years). RESULTS: We included 98 patients, mean age 79.4 (SD = 5.3) of whom 18 (18.3%) died and 19 (19.4%) were admitted into NH, over a median follow-up of 4 years. In multivariate Cox models, poor balance on the Tinetti POMA scale (HR = 0.82 95%CI (0.66–0.96), p = .023) and older age (HR = 1.12 95%CI (1.01–1.25), p = .044) were the only variables significantly associated with increased mortality risk. A Tinetti balance score below 11/16 was associated with a 6.7 hazard for mortality (p = .006). No specific factor was associated with NH admissions. CONCLUSIONS: Age and the Tinetti POMA score were the only factors independently associated with mortality. The Tinetti POMA scale should be considered for balance assessment and as a screening tool for the most at-risk individuals, in this population. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-023-03776-7.