Sensory organization test in elderly patients with and without vestibular dysfunction.
CONCLUSIONS
Elderly subjects without vestibular dysfunction had an overall worse performance as compared with the group of normal adults, confirming that age has a negative impact on balance. The group of elderly subjects with vestibular dysfunction had more important balance alterations than those without, confirming that vestibular dysfunction has a major impact on balance control in the elderly. The visual and vestibular systems presented more important functional changes with ageing than the somatosensory system.


OBJECTIVE
The main sensory input comes from the visual, vestibular and somatosensory systems; all of them may present changes due to ageing. This study aimed to investigate the performance of vestibular, visual and somatosensory systems in aged subjects with or without vestibular dysfunction, as compared to normal adults.


METHODS
Dynamic posturography was used in 60 elderly subjects without vestibular dysfunction (Gaa), 60 with vestibular dysfunction (Gas) and 58 normal adults (Gn).


RESULTS
For condition 1 and 2 Gn performed significantly better than Gaa and Gas, with no difference between the latter. In conditions 4, 5 and 6 the performance of Gn was statistically superior to that of Gaa, which in turn, was better than that of Gas. The somatosensory responses showed no significant differences between the three groups. The performance of visual and vestibular systems showed progressive dysfunction: Gn did better than than Gaa, and Gaa did better than Gas.
ENT, Hospital das Clinicas, Medical School University, Brazil. betepedalini@terra.com.br
Maria Elisabete Bovino
ME
Pedalini
Oswaldo Laércio Mendonça
OL
Cruz
Roseli Saraiva Moreira
RS
Bittar
Maria Cecília
MC
Lorenzi
Signe Schuster
SS
Grasel
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003943:Diagnostic Techniques, Neurological; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance; D015837:Vestibular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult