title: Balance Disorders in the Elderly: Does Instability Increase Over Time?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the equilibriometric differences between 2 populations of elderly patients (young elderly and very elderly) with instability induced solely by age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study, with 2 study groups classified according to patient age (cut-points in twenty-fifth and seventy-fifth percentiles of the age of the sample).
  
  
  METHODS
  64 patients aged 65 years or more. Two groups of 32 subjects were established: group A (people 65 years of age or older but less than 72.6, twenty-fifth percentile) and group B (patients 82.5 years, seventh-fifth percentile, or older). Main analyzed variables: timed up-and-go test, sensory organization test of the computerized dynamic posturography, Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), and Short Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) questionnaires. Student's t test or the Mann-Whitney test were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The older patients obtain poorer scores in the equilibriometric tests but not in all of them. In the sensory organization test, the older patients make poorer use of visual and vestibular information; they also require more time and steps for the timed up-and-go. With regards to the questionnaires, fear of falling is greater (higher Short FES-I scores) but not subjective perception of disability (DHI scores without differences).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a need to establish aged subgroups of elderly patients with instability, adapting therapeutic strategies.
authors: Division of Neurotology, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain Department of Dermatology and Otorhinolaryngology, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain andres.soto@usc.es.
authors: Andrés
authors: A
authors: Soto-Varela
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Lucus Augusti, Lugo, Spain.
authors: Marcos
authors: M
authors: Rossi-Izquierdo
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors: Ana
authors: A
authors: Faraldo-García
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors: Isabel
authors: I
authors: Vaamonde-Sánchez-Andrade
authors: Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors: Pilar
authors: P
authors: Gayoso-Diz
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors: María
authors: M
authors: Del-Río-Valeiras
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Lirola-Delgado
authors: Division of Neurotology, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain Department of Dermatology and Otorhinolaryngology, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors: Sofía
authors: S
authors: Santos-Pérez
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004244:Dizziness / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015837:Vestibular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: DHI; computerized dynamic posturography; elderly; fall; instability