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Computerized Dynamic Posturography for Postural Control Assessment in Patients with Intermittent Claudication
Published on: December 11, 2013
Postural Instability and Fall Risk in Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-sectional Study Using Posturography and Video Head
Andrea Lund1, Mathias Alrø Fichtner Bendtsen2, Henning Andersen3
1Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus.
Objective:
To investigate vestibular function, postural stability, and fall risk in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with and without diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN), compared with healthy controls.
Design:
A cross-sectional study.
Setting:
University hospital outpatient clinic.
Participants:
A total of 128 adults participated: 51 with T2DM and DPN, 38 with T2DM without DPN, and 39 healthy controls. Participants were consecutively recruited and classified based on clinical and electrophysiologic evaluation of DPN.
Interventions:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures:
Vestibular function was assessed using the video head impulse test (vHIT). Postural stability was measured by computerized posturography (Fourier frequency band analysis [F2-F4 sway], Stability Index, Fall Risk Index). Fall concern was assessed by questionnaire, and fall history within the past year was self-reported.
Results:
Abnormal vHIT findings were rare (7%), and there were no group differences. Participants with T2DM and DPN demonstrated significantly higher F2-F4 sway compared with both T2DM without DPN and controls. A similar pattern was observed for the Stability Index, while the Fall Risk Index did not differ between groups. Participants with a heightened fall concern and participants reporting falls within the past year had greater F2-F4 sway. Logistic regression analysis confirmed an independent association between F2-F4 sway and fall history.
Conclusion:
Computerized posturography, particularly F2-F4 sway, identified balance impairment and increased fall risk in individuals with T2DM, especially those with DPN. Abnormal vHIT findings were rare and unrelated to falls, suggesting a limited role of vHIT-detectable vestibular dysfunction in this population.
