Posturographic Analysis in the Elderly with and without sensorineural Hearing Loss

Abstract

Introduction Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a serious public health problem. Some evidence suggests a significant relationship between SNHL and balance disorders. The inability to maintain balance associated with SNHL while standing further increases the risk of falls among older people. Objective To investigate the association between SNHL on the postural balance in elderly individuals of both genders. Methods The sample consisted of 247 (166 women) physically independent elderly individuals, (mean age = 68.4 ± 6.0). The instruments used were the anamnesis and the pure tone audiometry for hearing loss, and for balance a force platform based in measures of center of pressure area and of sway velocity in the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions. Results Presence of hearing loss (HL) was observed in 68% of the participants. We observed a significant association between SNHL and characteristics of balance between the groups with and without HL for center of pressure (COP) area (p = 0.010), anteroposterior velocity (p = 0.001) and mediolateral velocity (p = 0.020). There was a significant difference between the gender groups for center of pressure area (p = 0.004), anteroposterior velocity (p = 0.001) and mediolateral velocity (p = 0.001) with better performance in the female group. Amongst men, there was a difference between the ones with HL and those without it, for COP area (p = 0.049). Conclusion In the present study, elderly individuals with SNHL exhibited more instability on the postural balance, and elderly men presented worse results in the test.

Impact of hearing impairment on the mental status of the adults and older adults in Jordanian society

“…Nevertheless, the children with severe and profound SNHL manifested more static equilibrium instabilities than the children with intact hearing [ 31 , 32 ]. Though SNHL prevalence increases with aging [ 33 ], few studies have observed the balance in older adults with permanent hearing impairment [ 34 – 37 ]. Considering these studies, significant alterations in postural balance were also found in this population because of impaired processing of visual and vestibular information, which requires greater assistance from the auditory system to maintain postural balance [ 38 – 40 ].…”

A Study of Etiopathogenesis of Different Vertigo Syndromes

“…Common differential diagnoses include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, Ménière'sdisease, and vestibular neuropathy. These can be readily differentiated by applying a systematic approach, and usually respond to treatment [16]. Related studies were reviewed [17][18][19][20][21].…”

Effectiveness of the aquatic physical therapy exercises to improve balance, gait, quality of life and reduce fall-related outcomes in healthy community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The trials did not report whether the samples exhibited these disorders, which were not exclusion criteria for any of the trials. This information is valuable, because several studies have reported that sensorineural hearing loss is a frequent finding in older people [68][69][70], and that older adults with hearing loss have worse balance, limited mobility and a greater likelihood of falls [71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79].…”