Hearing Loss Increases Risk Of Falls

By Hearing Professionals

When thinking about falls, one often pictures an older person who has difficulties walking, poor vision, and other medical conditions. But you probably didn't think hearing loss was a risk factor for falling, did you? Untreated hearing loss has been linked to a significant increase in one's risk of falling.

In 2012, Frank Lin, M.D., Ph. D., at Johns Hopkins, and his colleague Luigi Ferrucci, M.D., Ph.D., of the National Institute on Aging, used data from the 2001-2004 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

During those years, 2,017 participants ages 40-69 had their hearing tested and answered questions about whether they had fallen over the past year. Researchers also collected demographic information including age, sex and race, and measured how well the participants kept their balance.

Ferrucci and Lin found that people with a 25-decibel hearing loss (classified as mild) were nearly three times more likely to fall. Every additional 10-decibels of hearing loss increased the chances of falling by 140%. This finding held true when the researchers accounted for other factors linked with falling like age, sex, race, cardiovascular disease and vestibular (balance) function.

One reason hearing loss is associated with fall risk, could be that people who can't hear well might have less environmental and spatial awareness. Many researchers point to cognitive overload in which the brain is overwhelmed with demands on its limited resources.

“Gait and balance are things most people take for granted, but they are actually very cognitively demanding,” Lin said. “If hearing loss imposes a cognitive load, there may be fewer cognitive resources to help with maintaining balance and gait.”

Consequently, researchers wanted to determine if the use of hearing aids could help improve balance. Researchers tested 14 subjects between the ages of 61-90 and the results were conclusive Hearing aids made a definitive difference in balance suggesting that sound information alone, independent of the balance system, may play a larger role in maintaining balance than was previously thought.

For example, in the heel to toe test, participants with their hearing aids turned on were able to maintain balance twice as long as when their hearing aids were turned off.

“We don't think it's just that wearing hearing aids makes the person more alert,” Dr. Timothy Huller, professor of otolaryngology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said. “The participants appeared to be using the sound information coming through their hearing aids as auditory reference point or landmarks to help maintain balance. It's a bit like using your eyes to tell where you are in space. If we turn out the lights, people sway a little bit, more than they would if they could see. This study suggests that opening your ears also gives you information about balance.”

If you suspect you have a hearing loss, contact your local audiologist to get a baseline hearing exam it's the only way to know for sure. If you have a history of balance problems, dizziness, vertigo and/or falls, discuss this with your doctor as you may need vestibular (balance) testing by an audiologist.