An analysis of 27 previous studies involving more than five million people, including Australians, has found that people with hearing loss are at higher risk of falls.
The study, conducted by researchers at the National University of Singapore and published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, found that people with hearing loss had a 51% higher chance of having a fall at a single point in time or a 17% higher chance of having a fall over time.
The researchers say doctors and policymakers should be aware of the ramifications of hearing health on aging and explore the potential role of hearing intervention for fall prevention.
A total of 5,071,935 participants were included from 27 studies, with 14 of those studies conducted in Asia, seven in North America, three in Europe, and three in Oceania, represented by Australia.
The review and meta-analysis found that overall, hearing loss may be a risk factor for falls.
“With a rapidly aging global population, it is crucial to acknowledge the public health concerns surrounding falls and consider if hearing loss could be a potentially modifiable risk factor,” the reasearchers said.
They said the objective of the study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis because “falls constitute a significant public health concern worldwide and have been associated with increased morbidity and mortality across all ages . . . and literature surrounding the association between hearing loss and falls remains inconclusive.”
They also believe the findings suggest that “the magnitude of fall risk associated with hearing loss may be comparable with other well-established sensory-related risk factors, such as vision loss and vestibulopathy”.
“Our results suggest that hearing loss may warrant attention comparable with that given to other well-established sensory-related risk factors for falls,” they said.
