A new study suggests that altered blood flow to the brain caused by high blood pressure may be a contributing factor in falls among the elderly.

HealthDay reports that researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Hebrew SeniorLife’s Institute for Aging Research and Harvard Medical School studied 419 men and women over the age of 65. The participants underwent walking speed monitoring as well as ultrasound testing to gauge blood flow to the brain. They also reported on how often they had fallen in the previous two years.

The study, published in the journal Neurology, found that the 20 percent of participants who experienced the smallest brain blood flow changes were 70 percent more likely to fall than those among the 20 percent with the largest brain blood flow changes.

Seniors with the highest blood flow rate fell on average fewer than once per year, while those with the smallest blood flow rate fell almost 1.5 times per year.

"Our findings suggest there could be a new strategy for preventing falls, such as daily exercise and treatments for high blood pressure, since blood pressure affects blood flow in the brain and may cause falls," said the study’s lead author Farzaneh Sorond, M.D, Ph.D.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a third of adults over the age of 65 fall each year, with 30 percent suffering moderate to severe injuries, including hip fractures and traumatic brain injuries.