Association between self-reporting of dizziness and tests of static and dynamic balance in the elderly

Abstract

Dizziness can reach about 20-40% of the population and among its losses, falls are considered one of the main complications in the health of the elderly. Objective: To verify the association between self-reporting of dizziness and the tests of static and dynamic balance in the elderly of a Hearing and Rehabilitation Center of São Paulo. Methods: 27 elderly subjects answered five self-reported questions of dizziness and were submitted to the following tests of static and dynamic balance: Fournier, Romberg, Romberg-Barré, Unterberger and Linear gait. The data were analyzed in a descriptive way and the associations through the Chi-square test. Results: The age range of the sample was 61 to 91 years, with a mean of 74 years. The majority of the elderly, 16 (59.25%) stated feeling the symptom of dizziness. Of the total, 13 individuals (48.14%) reported vertigo associated with imbalance, seven (25.92%) reported having suffered at least one fall in the last 12 months and 14 (51.85%) were afraid of falling. The Chisquare test showed an association between the outcome variable “Do you feel dizzy?” With the questions “Do you have imbalance or instability?” (P = 0.018) and “Are you limited to doing activities near your residence due to fear of falling or lose balance?” (p = 0.021). Conclusion: There was no association between the complaint of dizziness and the results of the balance tests. However, self-reported questions of dizziness and imbalance can be an important tool for the screening process, in the identification of the elderly with risk of falls.