It was identified that, in the sample of elderly individuals living in Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil, the intrinsic factors that predispose to the risk of falls and fractures are older age, poor self-perception of eyesight, and poor selfrated health; the extrinsic factors are type of dwelling (living in a house) and a monthly income < one minimum wage.

Introduction: The self-assessment questionnaires are useful to measure the emotional and social/transient consequences resulting from hearing loss, and they can be used in a wide range of situations in the clinical routine, such as auditory screening. Objective: Check the sensitivity and specificities of HHIA-S and HHIE-S questionnaires to identify a hearing loss and their usages in auditory screenings, as well as analyze the ability of these questionnaires to detect different degrees of hearing impairments in the studied people. Method: Retrospective study with 51 individuals aged between 18 and 88, who filled out the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults Screening Version -HHIA-S and Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly Screening Version -HHIE-S questionnaires at the waiting room of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS)'s otorhinolaryngology infirmary. Results: The instruments showed a low sensitivity (47%), not identifying individuals with a hearing loss; however, they showed a high specificity (75%), accurately identifying individuals with no hearing disorder. Moreover, no significant association between the degree of hearing loss and the constraint degree for participation was found. Conclusion: the aforementioned questionnaires revealed a low sensitivity and a high specificity, proving to be ineffective for auditory screenings in a group with previous hearing complaints in addition to being unable to detect different types and degrees of hearing impairment.

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OBJETIVOS: verificar os achados da triagem imitanciométrica e dos testes da avaliação simplificada de processamento auditivo em escolares. MÉTODO: participaram da pesquisa alunos de 1ª a 4ª séries, de sete a dez anos de idade, de uma escola de ensino público de Porto Alegre. Foram avaliados 130 escolares na triagem imitanciométrica, que foi constituída por timpanometria e pesquisa do reflexo acústico ipsilateral e avaliação simplificada do processamento auditivo, incluindo testes de localização sonora, memória sequencial para sons verbais e memória sequencial para sons não verbais. RESULTADOS: na triagem imitanciométrica 43,08% dos escolares passaram, tendo a curva tipo A como mais frequente. O reflexo acústico em 4000 Hz teve percentual de presença inferior comparado com os demais. Passaram nos testes da avaliação simplificada do processamento auditivo 76,15% das crianças. Além disso, foi observado que o teste no qual os escolares obtiveram pior desempenho foi o de memória sequencial para sons verbais. Falharam na triagem imitanciométrica e na avaliação simplificada de processamento auditivo 12,3% dos escolares. CONCLUSÃO: a curva timpanométrica tipo A foi a mais frequente na população estudada. Na avaliação simplificada do processamento auditivo a maioria dos sujeitos passou, tendo maior frequência de acertos no teste de localização sonora. Não houve associação estatística entre o resultado da triagem imitanciométrica e o resultado da avaliação simplificada de processamento auditivo.

There is scarce national literature for central auditory processing screening and the only tool validated to Brazilian Portuguese, published as a monograph, is the auditory processing domains questionnaire. It is suggested that new studies with greater methodological stringency related to the processes of tool adaptation and validation be developed and published in the usual scientific databases, aiming at greater diffusion and clinical applicability.

Introduction:Hearing loss causes difficulties in speech understanding, which leads away from the family and social environment. This isolation may be associated with depressive disorders. Type of study: clinical prospective. Objective:To determine the association between hearing loss and depression in a group of non-institutionalized elderly. Method:The sample consisted of individuals aged over 60 years, undergoing complete audiological evaluation and screening for depressive symptoms with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Results:We evaluated 54 elderly, 26 (48.1%) were female and 28 (51.9%) males. It was found that 39 (72.2%) had hearing thresholds change, and 17 (31.5%) with mild hearing loss and 22 (40.7%) with moderate hearing loss. Were evident signs of depression in 25 elderly (46.3%), and 22 (40.7%) had hearing loss. Data analysis showed an association between hearing loss and depression (p = 0.016). Although not significant (p = 0.18), the association between the degree of hearing loss was positive in relation to the severity of the signs of depression. Conclusion:In elderly people surveyed, there was a strong association between hearing loss and signs of depression and tendency to be an association between the degree of hearing loss and the severity of the signs of depression.

Introduction Dizziness is a symptom that can lead to falls, which, in turn, undermine onés independence and autonomy, leading to several comorbidities. The practice of physical exercise, however, can help prevent falls. Objective The objective of this study is to confirm the association between physical exercise, dizziness, probability of falling, and depressive symptoms in a group of middle-aged adults and seniors. Methods The authors evaluated subjects based on history, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and functional reach test. Results The sample consisted of 90 individuals with a mean age of 69.3 ± 6.8 years. The authors found that 37.8% had been practicing exercise, 33.7% had depressive symptoms, and their probability of falling was above average in the functional reach test. Conclusion The results of this study indicated an association between dizziness, exercise practice and depressive symptoms, indicating that physical activity is a beneficial factor for the aging population.

Age and gender and the presence or absence of vertigo and/or dizziness were not variables that influenced the outcomes of vestibular testing. There was a significant association between the presence of self-reported psychological complaints and normal vestibular test results. Thus, it is crucial that professionals pay attention to psychological issues reported by patients when the vestibular history is taken.