Evaluating the Association Between Hearing Loss and Falls in Adults With Vestibular Dysfunction or Nonvestibular Dizziness.
Ryan J Huang, Carl F Pieper, Heather E Whitson and 3 others
PMID 34751678WHAT IT FOUND
Hearing loss was not associated with falls in patients with vestibular dysfunction or non-vestibular dizziness.
This null finding held across all subgroups, including those aged 65 or older, those with high medication burden, and those with bilateral vestibular hypofunction.
Key findings
01After adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, and falls-associated medications, the degree of hearing loss was not significantly associated with falls status.
02There were no significant interactions between diagnostic group and degree of hearing loss, indicating hearing loss was not associated with falls in patients with vestibular dysfunction or non-vestibular dizziness.
03No significant association between degree of hearing loss and falls status was detected in any of the eight subgroup analyses stratified by age, medication burden, cognitive impairment, or hearing loss severity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The primary outcome relied on self-reported falls, which is subject to recall bias and potential under-reporting. The study did not account for the use of hearing aids or mobility aids, which could influence balance and falls risk. The cohort was drawn from a specialized vestibular and audiology clinic, which may over-sample patients with more severe vestibular impairment and limit generalizability to the broader population. Hearing loss was characterized only by four-frequency PTA, which may not fully capture high-frequency or low-frequency loss patterns relevant to specific vestibular etiologies. The study did not assess the chronicity of vestibular dysfunction or otolithic function.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that hearing loss is irrelevant to balance or falls in the general population. This study specifically examined patients already diagnosed with vestibular dysfunction or non-vestibular dizziness. The null finding applies to whether hearing loss adds *additional* falls risk in these specific clinical groups after accounting for their dizziness and other factors.