Balance Screening of Vestibular Function in Subjects Aged 4 Years and Older: A Living Laboratory Experience
To better understand the various individual factors that contribute to balance and the relation to fall risk, we performed the modified Romberg Test of Standing Balance on Firm and Compliant Support, with 1,174 participants between 4 and 83 years of age. This research was conducted in the Living Lab...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2017-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neurology |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2017.00631/full |
| _version_ | 1818289262521483264 |
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| author | María Carolina Bermúdez Rey María Carolina Bermúdez Rey Torin K. Clark Torin K. Clark Torin K. Clark Daniel M. Merfeld Daniel M. Merfeld Daniel M. Merfeld |
| author_facet | María Carolina Bermúdez Rey María Carolina Bermúdez Rey Torin K. Clark Torin K. Clark Torin K. Clark Daniel M. Merfeld Daniel M. Merfeld Daniel M. Merfeld |
| author_sort | María Carolina Bermúdez Rey |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To better understand the various individual factors that contribute to balance and the relation to fall risk, we performed the modified Romberg Test of Standing Balance on Firm and Compliant Support, with 1,174 participants between 4 and 83 years of age. This research was conducted in the Living Laboratory® at the Museum of Science, Boston. We specifically focus on balance test condition 4, in which individuals stand on memory foam with eyes closed, and must rely on their vestibular system; therefore, performance in this balance test condition provides a proxy for vestibular function. We looked for balance variations associated with sex, race/ethnicity, health factors, and age. We found that balance test performance was stable between 10 and 39 years of age, with a slight increase in the failure rate for participants 4–9 years of age, suggesting a period of balance development in younger children. For participants 40 years and older, the balance test failure rate increased progressively with age. Diabetes and obesity are the two main health factors we found associated with poor balance, with test condition 4 failure rates of 57 and 19%, respectively. An increase in the odds of having fallen in the last year was associated with a decrease in the time to failure; once individuals dropped below a time to failure of 10 s, there was a significant 5.5-fold increase in the odds of having fallen in the last 12 months. These data alert us to screen for poor vestibular function in individuals 40 years and older or suffering from diabetes, in order to undertake the necessary diagnostic and rehabilitation measures, with a focus on reducing the morbidity and mortality of falls. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T02:09:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6265adbd1f7041b7a9d0170c0d3aeba2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-2295 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T02:09:29Z |
| publishDate | 2017-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neurology |
| spelling | doaj.art-6265adbd1f7041b7a9d0170c0d3aeba22022-12-22T00:03:03ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952017-11-01810.3389/fneur.2017.00631296291Balance Screening of Vestibular Function in Subjects Aged 4 Years and Older: A Living Laboratory ExperienceMaría Carolina Bermúdez Rey0María Carolina Bermúdez Rey1Torin K. Clark2Torin K. Clark3Torin K. Clark4Daniel M. Merfeld5Daniel M. Merfeld6Daniel M. Merfeld7Jenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, United StatesOtolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, United StatesJenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, United StatesOtolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, United StatesSmead Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United StatesJenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, United StatesOtolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, United StatesOtolaryngology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United StatesTo better understand the various individual factors that contribute to balance and the relation to fall risk, we performed the modified Romberg Test of Standing Balance on Firm and Compliant Support, with 1,174 participants between 4 and 83 years of age. This research was conducted in the Living Laboratory® at the Museum of Science, Boston. We specifically focus on balance test condition 4, in which individuals stand on memory foam with eyes closed, and must rely on their vestibular system; therefore, performance in this balance test condition provides a proxy for vestibular function. We looked for balance variations associated with sex, race/ethnicity, health factors, and age. We found that balance test performance was stable between 10 and 39 years of age, with a slight increase in the failure rate for participants 4–9 years of age, suggesting a period of balance development in younger children. For participants 40 years and older, the balance test failure rate increased progressively with age. Diabetes and obesity are the two main health factors we found associated with poor balance, with test condition 4 failure rates of 57 and 19%, respectively. An increase in the odds of having fallen in the last year was associated with a decrease in the time to failure; once individuals dropped below a time to failure of 10 s, there was a significant 5.5-fold increase in the odds of having fallen in the last 12 months. These data alert us to screen for poor vestibular function in individuals 40 years and older or suffering from diabetes, in order to undertake the necessary diagnostic and rehabilitation measures, with a focus on reducing the morbidity and mortality of falls.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2017.00631/fullbalanceagingvestibularscreeningfalls |
| spellingShingle | María Carolina Bermúdez Rey María Carolina Bermúdez Rey Torin K. Clark Torin K. Clark Torin K. Clark Daniel M. Merfeld Daniel M. Merfeld Daniel M. Merfeld Balance Screening of Vestibular Function in Subjects Aged 4 Years and Older: A Living Laboratory Experience Frontiers in Neurology balance aging vestibular screening falls |
| title | Balance Screening of Vestibular Function in Subjects Aged 4 Years and Older: A Living Laboratory Experience |
| title_full | Balance Screening of Vestibular Function in Subjects Aged 4 Years and Older: A Living Laboratory Experience |
| title_fullStr | Balance Screening of Vestibular Function in Subjects Aged 4 Years and Older: A Living Laboratory Experience |
| title_full_unstemmed | Balance Screening of Vestibular Function in Subjects Aged 4 Years and Older: A Living Laboratory Experience |
| title_short | Balance Screening of Vestibular Function in Subjects Aged 4 Years and Older: A Living Laboratory Experience |
| title_sort | balance screening of vestibular function in subjects aged 4 years and older a living laboratory experience |
| topic | balance aging vestibular screening falls |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2017.00631/full |
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