Associations Between Hearing Loss, Vestibular Dysfunction, and Falls

Falls and injuries related to falls are a growing societal problem. The cause of a fall is often multifactorial in nature and injurious falls are more likely to occur in an elderly population. It has only recently been shown that hearing loss is associated with a higher risk for falling. The pathophysiology of this association is currently only partially understood and is being actively studied. There is some emerging evidence to support that managing the hearing loss through amplification may reduce the risk for falling. Proper identification and treatment of falls risk factors may reduce the likelihood of a fall and minimize this societal burden.