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Vestibular rehabilitation in elderly patients with postural instability: reducing the number of falls—a randomized clinical trial

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Abstract

Background

Our previous study had shown the effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation (VR) in improving balance in elderly patients, assessed immediately afterwards.

Aims

The main goal of the present study is to consider whether this improvement in balance assessment turns out in a reduction of the number of falls.

Methods

139 elderly patients with high risk of falls were included and randomized to one of the following study arms: computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) training, optokinetic stimulus, exercises at home or control group. Patients were assessed with objective outcome measures (sensorial organization test and limits of stability of CDP, number of falls and number of hospital admissions due to falls) and subjective outcome measures (dizziness handicap inventory and short falls efficacy scale-international) during a 12-month follow-up period.

Results

Average number of falls significantly declined from 10.96 (before VR) to 3.03 (12-month follow-up) in the intervention group (p < 0.001); meanwhile, in the control group, the average number of falls changed from 3.36 to 2.61 during a 12-month follow-up period (p = 0.166).

Discussion

The present study provides evidence that VR can decisively improve balance in elderly patients with instability, which can lead in turn to a significant reduction of falls.

Conclusion

We recommend performing VR in any older person with high risk of falls.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the project PI11/01328, integrated into the State Plan for R + D + I 2008–2011 and funded by the ISCIII—Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación and the European Regional Development Fund: “Reduction of falls in the elderly by improving balance through vestibular rehabilitation”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital Lucus Augusti, Calle Dr. Ulises Romero, 1, 27003, Lugo, Spain

    Marcos Rossi-Izquierdo

  2. Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Pilar Gayoso-Diz

  3. Department of Otolaryngology, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Sofía Santos-Pérez, María Del-Río-Valeiras, Ana Faraldo-García, Isabel Vaamonde-Sánchez-Andrade, Antonio Lirola-Delgado & Andrés Soto-Varela

Authors
  1. Marcos Rossi-Izquierdo
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  2. Pilar Gayoso-Diz
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  3. Sofía Santos-Pérez
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  4. María Del-Río-Valeiras
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  5. Ana Faraldo-García
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  6. Isabel Vaamonde-Sánchez-Andrade
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  7. Antonio Lirola-Delgado
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  8. Andrés Soto-Varela
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcos Rossi-Izquierdo.

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Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Research involving human participants and/or animals

The study was performed according to the protocol approved by the Independent Ethics Committee of Galicia (Protocol 2010/139).

Informed consent

Signed informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Financial disclosure

No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.

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Rossi-Izquierdo, M., Gayoso-Diz, P., Santos-Pérez, S. et al. Vestibular rehabilitation in elderly patients with postural instability: reducing the number of falls—a randomized clinical trial. Aging Clin Exp Res 30, 1353–1361 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-018-1003-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-018-1003-0

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