According to a recent article published in the largest medical library in the United States, the National Library of Medicine (BMC Public Health, 2024 Mar 7), data was collected from the Netherlands Longitudinal Study on Hearing between 2006 and December 2022.
Methods
This study examines the relationship between hearing and falls. Specifically, it investigates speech-in-noise recognition and incidental or recurrent falls due to balance issues ten years later, as well as the ten-year change in speech-in-noise recognition and falls, along with the role of dizziness in this relationship.
Participants over 40 without congenital hearing loss or cochlear implants completed online surveys and digit recognition tests in noisy environments every five years. Variables such as hearing, dizziness, balance-related falls, chronic health conditions, and psychosocial health were examined.
Study Results
Among obese individuals, those with poor initial audibility thresholds had a higher risk of incidental falls ten years later. Worsening audibility thresholds during this period were also linked to a higher risk of recurrent falls. A long-term association between hearing impairment and recurrent falls due to balance issues was confirmed.
Early Prevention
Identifying individuals at risk of balance-related falls due to hearing loss and providing appropriate interventions like hearing aids or auditory therapy could reduce their risk and enhance their quality of life. This entails not only providing treatment for hearing loss but also integrating systematic hearing assessments into fall prevention programs.
Conclusion
These findings underscore the critical importance of identifying hearing issues early in life. Particularly, the association between hearing deterioration and increased risk of recurrent falls emphasizes the need for proactive intervention and addressing hearing problems.
In summary, these findings support the significance of addressing auditory health as an integral part of overall healthcare, especially in the context of fall prevention among older adults.
You can read the full study at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38454406/
