Effects of hearing aids in the balance, quality of life and fear to fall in elderly people with sensorineural hearing loss

Int. Arch. Otorhinolaryngol. 2012;16(2):156-162. DOI: 10.7162/S1809-97772012000200002 Original Article Effects of hearing aids in the balance, quality of life and fear to fall in elderly people with sensorineural hearing loss Efeitos da adaptação às próteses auditivas na qualidade de vida, no equilíbrio e no medo de queda em idosos com perda neurossensorial Clara Fonseca Lacerda1, Luciana Oliveira e Silva2, Roberto Sérgio de Tavares Canto3, Nadia Carla Cheik4. 1) Master in Physiotherapy. Physiotherapist of the Municipal City Hall of Patos de Minas. 2) Master in Physiotherapy for the University Center of Triangle (UNITRI). Professor. 3) Post-Doctorate for the University of Liverpool, England (1984) Performance in Surgery, with emphasis in Traumatic Surgery Doctor. Professor of the University Centre of Triangulo, Brazil. 4) Doctorate in Physiological Sciences for the Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil (2005). Teacher of the Federal University of Uberlandia/College of Physical Education (FAEFI/UFU). Program of Master in Physiotherapy for the University Center of the Triangle (UNITRI). Institution: University Centre of the Triangulo (UNITRI). Uberlandia/MG - Brazil. Mailing address: Program of Physical Education FAEFI/UFU - Benjamin Constant Street, 1,286 - Quarter: Aparecida - Uberlandia / MG - Brazil - Zip-code: 38400-902 - Telephones: (+55 34) 3822-1096 and 9975-4811 - E-mail: Article received in August 13, 2009. Article approved in December 18, 2011. SUMMARY RESUMO Introduction: The aging process provokes structural modifications and functional to it greets, compromising the postural control and central processing. Studies have boarded the necessity to identify to the harmful factors of risk to aged the auditory health and security in stricken aged by auditory deficits and with alterations of balance. Objective: To evaluate the effect of auditory prosthesis in the quality of life, the balance and the fear of fall in aged with bilateral auditory loss. Method: Carried through clinical and experimental study with 56 aged ones with sensorineural auditory loss, submitted to the use of auditory prosthesis of individual sonorous amplification (AASI). The aged ones had answered to the questionnaires of quality of life Short Form Health Survey (SF36), Falls Efficacy International Scale- (FES-I) and the test of Berg Balance Scale (BBS). After 4 months, the aged ones that they adapted to the use of the AASI had been reevaluated. Results: It had 50% of adaptation of the aged ones to the AASI. It was observed that the masculine sex had greater difficulty in adapting to the auditory device and that the variable age, degree of loss, presence of humming and vertigo had not intervened with the adaptation to auditory prosthesis. It had improvement of the quality of life in the dominance of the State General Health (EGS) and Functional Capacity (CF) and of the humming, as well as the increase of the auto-confidence after adaptation of auditory prosthesis. Conclusion: The use of auditory prosthesis provided the improvement of the domains of the quality of life, what it reflected consequently in one better auto-confidence and in the long run in the reduction of the fear of fall in aged with sensorineural auditory loss. Keywords: hearing loss, quality of life, postural balance. Introdução: O processo de envelhecimento provoca modificações estruturais e funcionais à saude, comprometendo o controle postural e processamento central. Estudos têm abordado a necessidade de identificar os fatores de risco prejudiciais à saúde auditiva e segurança em idosos acometidos por déficits auditivos e com alterações de equilíbrio. Objetivo: Avaliar o efeito da prótese auditiva na qualidade de vida, no equilíbrio e no medo de queda em idosos com perda auditiva bilateral. Método: Estudo clínico e experimental realizado com 56 idosos com perda auditiva neurossensorial, submetidos ao uso da prótese auditiva de amplificação sonora individual (AASI). Os idosos responderam aos questionários de qualidade de vida Short Form Health Survery (SF-36), Falls Efficacy ScaleInternacional (FES-I) e o teste de Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Após 4 meses, os idosos que adaptaram ao uso da AASI foram reavaliados. Resultados: Houve 50% de adaptação dos idosos ao AASI. Foi observado que o sexo masculino teve maior dificuldade em adaptar ao aparelho auditivo e que as variáveis idade, grau de perda, presença de zumbido e vertigem não interferiram na adaptação à prótese auditiva. Houve melhora da qualidade de vida nos domínios Estado da Saúde Geral (EGS) e Capacidade Funcional (CF) e do zumbido, assim como o aumento da auto-confiança após adaptação da prótese auditiva. Conclusão: O uso de prótese auditiva propiciou a melhora dos domínios da qualidade de vida, o que refletiu em uma melhor auto-confiança e consequentemente a longo prazo na redução do medo de queda em idosos com perda auditiva neurossensorial. Palavras-chave: perda auditiva, qualidade de vida, equilíbrio postural. Int. Arch. Otorhinolaryngol., São Paulo - Brazil, v.16, n.2, p. 156-162, Apr/May/June - 2012. 156 Effects of hearing aids in the balance, quality of life and fear to fall in elderly people with sensorineural hearing loss. INTRODUCTION In the aged one, the auditory loss, is one of the three more prevalent chronic conditions, being behind only of the arthritis and the hypertension (1,2). According to (3), approximately 90% of the people with superior age the 80 years present auditory loss. When it occurs in function of the aging process it is known as presbycusis and it generates one of the crippling riots of the communication, hindering the aged ones to play in the society, because it not only provokes the sensorial privation to hear, as the difficulty of understanding of speaks of that they surround it making it difficult the full communication (1,4,5,6). Besides, it causes a series of social problems, amongst them: the removal of the social and familiar activities, low self-worth, isolation, solitude, depression and irritability (1,7,8). The aging process does not only represent the loss of the auditory threshold, it generates structural and functional modifications compromising all the components of the postural, sensorial control (visual, somatic sensorial and vestibular contest), effector (force, amplitude of movement, biomechanical alignment, flexibility) and the central processing (9,10). The physiological reduction of the vision, the hearing, the corporal stability, the articulate alterations and of the muscular power can facilitate to the risks of accidents and fall for the slowing of the defensive reactions (11). The falls are dealt with as factor great epidemiologist relevance, social and economic in the whole world, therefore, it is the type most common of accident between the aged ones (12). The complications lead the causes of deaths in people above of 65 years and promote physical, psychological, and social deficiency, being able (...truncated)