Hearing Loss Is Associated with Increased Variability in Double Support Period in the Elderly

Hearing loss is a disabling condition that increases with age and has been linked to difficulties in walking and increased risk of falls. The purpose of this study is to investigate changes in gait parameters associated with hearing loss in a group of older adults aged 60 or greater. Custom-engineer...

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Published inSensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 21; no. 1; p. 278
Main Authors Szeto, Betsy, Zanotto, Damiano, Lopez, Erin M., Stafford, John A., Nemer, John S., Chambers, Adam R., Agrawal, Sunil K., Lalwani, Anil K.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland MDPI AG 04.01.2021
MDPI
Subjects
Accidental Falls
Age
Aged
ambulatory gait analysis
Deafness
Ethnicity
Feedback
Female
Gait
Hearing aids
Hearing loss
Hearing Loss - diagnosis
Humans
instrumented footwear
Kinematics
Male
Middle Aged
Older people
Otology
spatiotemporal gait parameters
Velocity
Walking
wearable technology
United States > US
spatiotemporal gait parameters
hearing loss
wearable technology
instrumented footwear
ambulatory gait analysis
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Summary:Hearing loss is a disabling condition that increases with age and has been linked to difficulties in walking and increased risk of falls. The purpose of this study is to investigate changes in gait parameters associated with hearing loss in a group of older adults aged 60 or greater. Custom-engineered footwear was used to collect spatiotemporal gait data in an outpatient clinical setting. Multivariable linear regression was used to determine the relationship between spatiotemporal gait parameters and high and low frequency hearing thresholds of the poorer hearing ear, the left ear, and the right ear, respectively, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and the Dizziness Handicap Inventory–Screening version score. Worsening high and low frequency hearing thresholds were associated with increased variability in double support period. Effects persisted after adjusting for the effects of age and perceived vestibular disability and were greater for increases in hearing thresholds for the right ear compared to the left ear. These findings illustrate the importance of auditory feedback for balance and coordination and may suggest a right ear advantage for the influence of auditory feedback on gait.
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These authors contributed equally to this work.
ISSN:1424-8220
1424-8220
DOI:10.3390/s21010278