Ear Problem Common in Older Adults

By Nancy Walsh, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Published: May 26, 2009 Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Dorothy Caputo, ,

RIDGEWOOD, N.J., May 26 -- Vestibular function is impaired in 35 percent of U.S. adults over 40 and can contribute to catastrophic outcomes such as falls, a new study found.

Action Points  

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• Explain to interested patients that their balance is affected by the correct functioning of their inner ear structures, and that this functioning declines as they age.



• Also explain that this contributes significantly to their risk of falling and being seriously injured.

The condition affects approximately 69 million Americans, according Yuri Agrawal, M.D., and colleagues at Johns Hopkins, reporting in the May 25 Archives of Internal Medicine.

The odds of having vestibular dysfunction increased significantly with age, with an adjusted odds ratio of 22.7 for individuals age 80 and over (95% CI 16.8 to 30.7), compared with those ages 40 to 49, the researchers found. /.../