Give an example of an age-related risk and briefly explain its impact.

• A. Increased fall risk due to sarcopenia and orthostatic hypotension resulting in higher injury risk.
• B. Increased endurance and higher activity levels reducing injury risk.
• C. Decreased risk of orthostatic changes.
• D. Increased endurance and higher activity levels reducing injury risk.

Answer: (A)

An age-related risk that clearly leads to harm is the higher likelihood of falls due to sarcopenia and orthostatic hypotension. Loss of muscle mass and strength (sarcopenia) weakens legs and reduces balance, making everyday movements more unstable and increasing the chance of stumbling or losing balance. Orthostatic hypotension, a drop in blood pressure on standing, can cause dizziness or fainting, which also raises the risk of falling. When a fall happens, older adults are more susceptible to serious injuries like hip fractures or head injuries and may have longer recovery times.

Other options describe protective factors (more endurance and activity) or changes that aren’t typically decreased with aging (orthostatic changes are often more common, not decreased), so they don’t illustrate an age-related risk with clear impact like falls do.