Seong-geun Kim, director of the Department of Otolaryngology and Throat at the Hearing Loss Focus Clinic, advised that people with hearing loss should consider wearing hearing aids because if the vestibular organ responsible for the sense of balance is infected with a virus that causes hearing loss, can lead to a fall accident.As we age, actions that were once easy become difficult.
Even the simplest actions, like waking up in the morning to go to the bathroom or drink water, can become difficult and a fall on the way can cause serious accidents.
Fall accidents are a common symptom in the aging process. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the number of patients falling increases every year except 2015, and one in four trauma patients who visit the emergency room is a fall victim. Notably, more than half of trauma patients over the age of 70 are said to have fallen. For this reason, the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) have advised seniors to move slowly, avoid excessive drinking, and exercise regularly.
There are many causes of falls, and a recent study showed that hearing management is also closely related to falls.
So what is the relationship between hearing and fall accidents?
Our ears not only hear sound, but also balance. This is because the vestibular organ responsible for the sense of balance is located in the semicircular canal of the inner ear. Therefore, when there is a problem in this area, our body has a hard time maintaining a sense of balance and a fall accident can occur at this time.
Kim Seong-geun, director of the otolaryngology department at the Hearing Loss Focus Clinic, Kim Seong-geun, said, “An interesting fact is that the causative factor of hearing loss can cause problems in the vestibular system. It can spread and cause hearing loss. cause imbalances in the sense of balance “.
Deterioration of hearing and vestibular function can result from aging. More than a third of people over the age of 40 have failed the balance test, according to a US study examining the vestibular function of its citizens.
Not only aging, but also taking ototoxic drugs that cause hearing loss or low blood circulation can cause problems with the vestibular system.
Even mild hearing loss can cause a fall. A study of people between the ages of 40 and 69 found that people with mild hearing loss were three times more likely to fall than people with normal hearing. A team of researchers from the University of Michigan analyzed about 115,000 older adults diagnosed with hearing loss over a three-year period and found that 13% had a fall, compared to the average fall rate of 7.5%. for the same age group.
So what causes hearing loss to cause falls? Frank Lin, a Doctor of Science at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, argues that walking and balance are cognitively challenging behaviors. In other words, if you focus on listening to sounds that are difficult to hear due to hearing loss, the cognitive power used for balance is relatively small and the likelihood of falling is increased. Additionally, hearing loss can cause depression, which can also lead to fall accidents. This is because depression can cloud focus and judgment, making it difficult to recognize the risk factors around you.
So what can help prevent falls? Walking and strength training can go a long way in strengthening your feet and legs, but surprisingly, a recent study found that listening to sounds can help prevent falls. Director Kim Seong-geun said, “As a result of a three-year study of people with hearing loss who wore hearing aids for the first time at the University of Michigan, their fall accident rate decreased by 13. % He said: “Those with hearing loss with a poor sense of balance can expect hearing rehabilitation and an improvement in their sense of balance by wearing a hearing aid.”
[이병문 의료선임기자]
[ⓒ 매일경제 & mk.co.kr, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]
