Botucatu Medical School, Julio de Mesquita Filho Paulista State University.
Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2010 Mar-Apr;76(2):219-24. doi: 10.1590/S1808-86942010000200012.
Impaired balance is one of several factors that increase an elderly's susceptibility to falls. Balance assessment can be performed using postural tests and plantar cutaneous sensitivity tests.
To assess balance disorders and loss of plantar cutaneous sensitivity in the elderly and look for association between these alterations.
A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 45 elderly submitted to the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the plantar sensitivity test with nylon monofilament. We used chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, and ROC curves were created in order to study the sensitivity and specificity of BBS.
Two and 4 individuals showed balance and cutaneous sensation disorders, respectively. There was a significant association between the complaint of impaired balance and loss of skin sensitivity (p = 0.047), and there was a reasonable agreement (Kappa: 0.6457) between the BBS and the sensorial test. A significant association was also found among 6 of the 14 BBS tasks and the sensitivity test.
Most of the elderly living independently in the community showed normal balance and plantar cutaneous sensation. When impaired, these functions appeared associated in a way that if the tests are performed together, the accuracy of the evaluation of the balance increases.
目的：评估老年人的平衡障碍和足底触觉敏感性，并寻找这些改变之间的关联。
材料和方法：这是一项描述性的横断面研究，共纳入 45 名老年人，他们接受了伯格平衡量表（BBS）和尼龙单丝足底触觉敏感性测试。我们使用了卡方和 Fisher 精确检验，并绘制了 ROC 曲线，以研究 BBS 的敏感性和特异性。
结果：分别有 2 人和 4 人出现平衡和皮肤感觉障碍。平衡障碍的主诉与皮肤敏感性丧失之间存在显著关联（p=0.047），BBS 和感觉测试之间存在合理的一致性（Kappa：0.6457）。BBS 的 14 项任务中的 6 项与敏感性测试之间也存在显著关联。
结论：大多数在社区中独立生活的老年人表现出正常的平衡和足底触觉。当这些功能受损时，它们似乎是相关的，因此如果同时进行这些测试，平衡评估的准确性会提高。
