Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan.
Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan.
Gait Posture. 2021 Jun;87:54-58. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2021.04.007. Epub 2021 Apr 8.
The influence of age-related hearing loss on slow gait has been suggested; however, whether it is associated with increased gait variability, an important predictor of fall risk, remains unclear.
Is poor auditory acuity associated with increased gait variability, and does this gait change relate to accidental falls among older adults with hearing loss?
We studied 107 older adults (mean age, 76.5 years; 80.5 % women). Auditory acuity was measured using a pure tone average (PTA) of hearing thresholds for 0.5-4 kHz tones in the better-hearing ear. Hearing loss was defined as a PTA of >25 dB. Gait speed and spatiotemporal variability (i.e., stride length and time variabilities) were assessed using a 5-m electronic walkway. We also assessed the occurrence of multiple falls within the previous year.
Fifty-two participants (48.6 %) experienced hearing loss. Multiple regression analysis adjusted for potential covariates showed that poor PTA was associated with slower gait speed and stride length variability, but not stride time variability. Among older adults with hearing loss, fall occurrence was associated with an increased stride length variability and not a slow gait or increased stride time variability.
The association between hearing loss and increased gait variability observed in the present study suggests that age-related hearing loss can jeopardize gait control during daily activities. This leads to increased gait variability and increased risk of accidental falls. Our results provide additional information on how age-related hearing loss increases the risk of falls.
年龄相关性听力损失对缓慢步态的影响已被提出；然而，它是否与步态变异性增加有关，而步态变异性是跌倒风险的一个重要预测指标，目前尚不清楚。
听力障碍与步态变异性增加是否相关，这种步态变化是否与听力损失老年人的意外跌倒有关？
我们研究了 107 名老年人（平均年龄 76.5 岁；80.5%为女性）。使用较好耳的 0.5-4kHz 纯音平均听阈（PTA）测量听力敏锐度。听力损失定义为 PTA>25dB。使用 5 米电子步道评估步态速度和时空变异性（即步长和时间变异性）。我们还评估了前一年多次跌倒的发生情况。
52 名参与者（48.6%）有听力损失。经过潜在混杂因素调整的多元回归分析表明，较差的 PTA 与较慢的步态速度和步长变异性相关，但与步长时间变异性无关。在有听力损失的老年人中，跌倒的发生与步长变异性增加有关，而不是步态缓慢或步长时间变异性增加。
本研究观察到听力损失与步态变异性增加之间的关联表明，年龄相关性听力损失可能会危及日常活动中的步态控制。这导致步态变异性增加和意外跌倒的风险增加。我们的研究结果提供了关于年龄相关性听力损失如何增加跌倒风险的更多信息。
