Abstract
Abnormal body balance and cognitive dysfunction may develop in elderly patients with chronic vestibular dysfunction. AimTo evaluate the relationship between cognitive processing and body balance in elderly patients with chronic peripheral vestibular disease. Type of Study: Cross-sectional. MethodsSeventy-six patients (≥ 60 years) with chronic peripheral vestibular dysfunction and dizziness for more than three months were enrolled. The tests for investigating body balance were: the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) Timed Up and Go Test modified (TUGTm); the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Test Clock (RT,) and Verbal Fluency Test (VF) were applied for assessing cognition. ResultsThe mean age was 69.03 years (SD=6.21 years); most were female (82.9%). There was a significant negative correlation between the MMSE and the TUGT (ρ=-0.312; p=0.01), MMSE and TUGTm (ρ=-0.306; p=0.01), FV and TUGT (ρ=-0.346; p=0.01), and FV and TUGTm (ρ=-0.536; p=0.01); there was a significant positive correlation between the TR and BBS (ρ=0.343; p=0.01), TR and DGI (ρ=0.298; p=0.01), FV and BBS (ρ=0.299; p=0.01), and FV and DGI (ρ=0.306; p=0.01). ConclusionElderly patients with chronic peripheral vestibular disease and worse performance in body balance tests have functional impairment in cognitive skills.
Highlights
Ageing entails several physical and functional changes including an altered body balance commonly accompanied by a decline in physical and cognitive abilities[1]
A contemporary cohort cross-sectional study was made of elderly individuals with a diagnosis of chronic peripheral vestibular diseases that complained of chronic dizziness and/or body unbalance
Patients were referred for assessment of cognition and functional body balance after going through medical and phonoaudiological evaluations to reach a diagnosis of chronic peripheral vestibular disease
Summary
Ageing entails several physical and functional changes including an altered body balance commonly accompanied by a decline in physical and cognitive abilities[1]. Cognitive decline by ageing – characterized by loss of concentration and short-term memory loss – is often seen by clinicians in patients with vestibular diseases; it is more evident in tasks that require speed and inductive reasoning[3,4,5,6]. Loss of memory and difficulty to concentrate may accompany vestibular diseases and such patients may present associated body unbalance[3,4,5]. All components of postural control (sensory, effector, central processing, and cognition) are affected by ageing. The body system’s compensatory mechanism is compromised because of accumulated losses that may affect postural control, which increases instability and the risk of falls[7,8,9,10]
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