Geriatric (G)
Antonio Sam Pierre, BS (he/him/his)
Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
Laval, Quebec, Canada
Financial Disclosures: I do not have any relevant financial relationships with anything to disclose.
Non-Financial Disclosures: I do not have any relevant non-financial relationships with anything to disclose.
Assan Mary Cedras
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Daniel Paromov, BS (he/him/his)
Student
Université de Montréal
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Non-Financial Disclosures: I do not have any relevant non-financial relationships with anything to disclose.
Philippe Germain
Financial Disclosures: I do not have any relevant financial relationships with anything to disclose.
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Karina Moïn-Darbari
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François Champoux
Professor
University of Montreal
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Maxime Maheu
Financial Disclosures: I do not have any relevant financial relationships with anything to disclose.
Non-Financial Disclosures: I do not have any relevant non-financial relationships with anything to disclose.
Introduction Maintaining postural stability requires the integration of multiple sensory input such as vestibular, somatosensory and visual cues. The function of these sensory systems is known to deteriorate with normal aging, contributing to higher risk of falls in elderly. One way to prevent falls is to screen for sensory deficits to rapidly compensate the deficit. Even though several methods exist to screen for hearing, visual and vestibular function, the methods to screen for somatosensory loss are limited. It has been proposed that vibration threshold using a bone vibrator (ankle audiometry) could be a valuable tool in screening for neuropathy. This vibrator being widely available in audiology clinics could become an interesting tool to screen for somatosensory loss in fall risk prevention. However, no previous studies demonstrated the specificity and sensitivity of this method to distinguish between fallers and non-fallers.
Objective To assess the difference in lower limbs' vibration threshold as measured by ankle audiometry between fallers and non fallers. Secondarily, this project aims at assessing the relation between hearing, vestibular function and postural control stability.
Methods We recruited participants aged between 65 and 80 years old. Participants were subdivided in two groups (fallers and non-fallers) based on history of a fall in the past year. All participants performed a hearing test (hearing thresholds), video head impulse test (VOR gain), ankle audiometry (vibration thresholds on big toe, ankle, and tibia) and the modified clinical test of sensory integration and balance on a force platform (sway velocity).
Results: Preliminary results reveal that vibration thresholds (ankle audiometry) and sway velocity are significantly higher in the group of fallers as opposed to non-fallers. Moreover, we measured a significant negative correlation between sway velocity and VOR gain in fallers group. However, hearing thresholds did not correlate with sway velocity.
Conclusions These preliminary results support the use of ankle audiometry in fall risk assessment, where higher vibration threshold may be associated with a higher risk of falls. Larger sample size will allow computing sensitivity and specificity of the test to distinguish between fallers and non-fallers.