Type 2 Diabetes - Vestibular Balance and Falls!

According to a study published this month in the medical journal Otology and Neurotolgy, people with Type 2 diabetes need to protect their sense of balance and prevent falls even more than healthy people.

Researchers in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, looked at information taken from a National Health survey during the years 2001 to 2004. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey is a program begun by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the 1960's, and abstracts health information from 5000 representative adults and children per year. Type 2 diabetes is one of their diseases of interest.

What is vestibular function: Vestibular function is the ability to stay balanced using the inner ear and nervous system. People with vestibular problems often describe balance issues in terms of:

vertigo (a whirling or spinning movement)dizziness,lightheadedness, and motion sickness

But these symptoms are not always caused by disorders of the vestibular system.

In the National Health Survey, 2001 to 2004, it was found that those people in the survey who had Type 2 diabetes for the longest time, had the most likelihood of having vestibular difficulties. Type 2 diabetics with the highest HbA1c percentages, (the HbA1c determines the average amount of glucose which has been present in your bloodstream for the previous 3 months), were also associated with the highest prevalence of vestibular difficulties. Those with the poorest control of their Type 2 diabetes had the greatest chance of vestibular problems. Those with vestibular problems, not surprisingly, had the highest chance of falls. The falls were not related to numbness in the feet or visual difficulties.

The danger of developing a poor sense of balance and falling is another reason to do your best to control your blood sugar levels. Most falls do not cause serious injuries in younger and middle-aged people, but falls in the elderly can lead to serious injuries such as hip disorders which can lead to permanent disabilities. We would all like to spend our old age being as independent as possible and being able to walk without difficulty. Getting your blood sugar levels under control is not something to be put off, because the body appears to accumulate vestibular damage caused by poor diabetic control.

Have your hemoglobin A1c measured on a regular basis... a level greater than 7% indicates poor blood sugar control and a greater risk of developing diabetic complications. All Type 2 diabetics are advised to have their HbA1c levels tested at least every 6 months.