Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Otology, Neurotology, and Skull Base Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2021;35(2):169-171. doi: 10.1097/WAD.0000000000000390.
People with Alzheimer disease (AD) are at increased risk of falls and disproportionately burdened with vestibular impairment compared with healthy older adults. Although physical therapy (PT) and vestibular physical therapy (VPT) are effective rehabilitation interventions in improving balance and fall risk, referral patterns for these services in the AD population are understudied. A retrospective chart review was conducted of patients seen for primary AD care at a tertiary AD referral center to investigate the frequency of rehabilitation referrals. Of the 801 people with AD seen for AD care in 1 year, 48 individuals (6.0%) were referred to PT and 5 individuals (0.6%) to VPT. People with AD appear to receive very infrequent PT and VPT referrals, despite the potentially large number of people with AD who could benefit from PT and VPT services to improve their balance and vestibular function.
患有阿尔茨海默病 (AD) 的人跌倒的风险增加，与健康的老年人相比，他们的前庭功能障碍负担不成比例。虽然物理疗法 (PT) 和前庭物理疗法 (VPT) 是改善平衡和跌倒风险的有效康复干预措施，但在 AD 人群中，这些服务的转介模式研究较少。对在三级 AD 转诊中心接受 AD 主要治疗的患者进行了回顾性图表审查，以调查康复转介的频率。在一年内接受 AD 治疗的 801 名 AD 患者中，有 48 人（6.0%）被转介到 PT，5 人（0.6%）被转介到 VPT。尽管有大量的 AD 患者可能受益于 PT 和 VPT 服务来改善他们的平衡和前庭功能，但 AD 患者接受 PT 和 VPT 转介的情况非常罕见。
