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Ear Problems May Be Source of Falls in the Elderly

Wed, 05/31/2000 - 12:00am — Karen Stevenson
Description: 

When an elderly person suddenly slips and falls, it may be called an accident and blamed on old age. But researchers in California suggest such falls could in fact be the result of disorders of the inner ear. Dr. Gail Ishiyama, a neurologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, says her research indicates that some falls can be traced to Meniere's disease and related disturbances of the inner ear, and to call these falls "accidental" could result in the patient's receiving the wrong sort of treatment while the real cause remains untreated.

When an elderly person suddenly slips and falls, it may be called an accident and blamed on old age. But researchers in California suggest such falls could in fact be the result of disorders of the inner ear. Dr. Gail Ishiyama, a neurologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, says her research indicates that some falls can be traced to Meniere's disease and related disturbances of the inner ear, and to call these falls "accidental" could result in the patient's receiving the wrong sort of treatment while the real cause remains untreated.