Evaluation of vestibular symptoms and postural balance control in patients with chronic otitis media.
BACKGROUND
Evidence to support potential links between chronic otitis media (COM) and vestibular impairment/postural balance control issues is lacking.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether COM associates with vestibular symptoms, balance problems, and abnormalities in vestibular function tests.


METHODS
We selected 126 patients with COM and excluded patients with any identifiable underlying causes for vestibular dysfunction. Fifty-two healthy volunteers were included as controls. All subjects underwent anamnesis, physical examination, posturography, and video-head impulse tests.


RESULTS
We found a high prevalence of vestibular symptoms (58.4%) among patients with COM, while only 2% of the controls had vestibular symptoms. There was a positive correlation between COM activity with the presence of tinnitus and vestibular symptoms (P < 0.05). Clinical vestibular tests were abnormal in 63% of patients with COM, and those positively associated with presence of vestibular symptoms. Posturography results shown worse postural balance control in patients with COM as compared with controls, especially in the limit of stability (LOS) (Mean LOS, COM = 157.56 cm2; controls = 228.98 cm2; p < 0.001) and worse results in the test with eyes closed while standing on a foam mattress (sway area, COM = 10.91 cm2; controls = 5.90 cm2; p < 0.001) in patients with COM as compared with controls. We did not observe differences in the average vestibuloocular reflex gains in the video-head impulse test between our COM and control groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that COM associates with higher prevalence of vestibular symptoms and abnormalities in clinical vestibular function tests, and worse postural control as compared with controls. Among patients with COM, the activity of the middle-ear inflammation seemed to positively associate with the severity of hearing and balance problems.
['Monsanto|Rafael da Costa|RDC|', 'Kasemodel|Ana Luiza Papi|ALP|', 'Tomaz|Andreza|A|', 'Elias|Thais Gomes Abrahão|TGA|', 'Paparella|Michael Mauro|MM|', 'Penido|Norma de Oliveira|NO|']
D000328:Adult D002908:Chronic Disease D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D010033:Otitis Media D004856:Postural Balance D015837:Vestibular Diseases D014724:Vestibular Function Tests D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth
Otitis media vestibular function tests dizziness postural 
balance vertigo