Effect of age on body balance and on the results of the video head impulse test in patients with heart failure

Abstract

Purpose to verify whether there is an association between the clinical assessment of balance and the gain in the vestibulo-ocular reflex with advancing age in patients with heart failure. Methods analytical-descriptive, observational cross-sectional study, which included patients diagnosed with heart failure, divided into two groups by age (G1, under 60 years old and G2, 60 years old or older). The patients were evaluated through anamnesis, cardiac assessment, clinical assessment of body balance (cerebellar function screening and assessment of static and dynamic balance) and instrumental assessment of vestibular function (Video Head Impulse Test-vHIT). The findings were described and compared through inferential statistical analysis. Results 34 patients with a mean age of 55 years and 9 months, mostly men (71.49%). There was no association between vestibulo-ocular reflex gain, symmetry of the semicircular canals and body balance with advancing age. Associations were observed between the results of the Unterberger-Fukuda test with the gain in the vestibulo-ocular reflex of the right lateral and left posterior semicircular canals and with the percentages of symmetry of the anterior semicircular canals for patients in Group 2. In Group 1, an association was observed between the results of the Unterberger-Fukuda test and the symmetry values of the anterior semicircular canals and the gain in the vestibulo-ocular reflex of the left anterior and right posterior semicircular canals. Conclusion there was no association between the results of the clinical assessment of body balance and the vHIT findings with advancing age in patients with heart failure. However, there was a difference between the gain of the specific vestibulo-ocular reflex for some semicircular canals, with higher rates of alteration in the dynamic balance test, in both groups. The results of the applied tests allowed characterize the predominance of chronic vestibular hypofunction of peripheral origin in patients with heart failure, regardless of age group.