Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41825962›Full record

ArticleThe Laryngoscope2026

Balance Disorders in Young and Middle-Aged Adults: NHANES, 2001-2004 and 2021-2023.

Howard J Hoffman, Diana E Fisher, Anne E Hogan, Helen S Cohen, Gregory A Flamme, Christa L Themann, Chuan-Ming Li, Bryan K Ward, Charles C Della Santina

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Article in The Laryngoscope, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Howard J HoffmanEpidemiology, Statistics, and Population Sciences Section, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4105-0808
Diana E FisherOffice of Vision Health and Population Sciences, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Anne E HoganDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Ascension St. John Medical Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.
Helen S CohenDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Gregory A FlammeStephenson and Stephenson, Research and Consulting (SASRAC), LLC, Batavia, Ohio, USA.
Christa L ThemannDivision of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Chuan-Ming LiEpidemiology, Statistics, and Population Sciences Section, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Bryan K WardDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Charles C Della SantinaDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo estimate the prevalence of balance disorders in young and middle-aged adults, examine associations with risk factors, and changes over the past 20 years.

methodsThe National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a cross-sectional complex random sample of the civilian, non-institutionalized United States population. In 2001-2004 and 2021-2023, NHANES included questions about balance, dizziness, and falls in the past 12 months. The modified Romberg test (MRT) was used to examine vestibular balance function. Logistic regression models were used to assess risk factor associations with balance disorders.

resultsAmong 4525 middle-aged adults 40-69 years in 2001-2004, 21.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 19.1%, 23.9%) reported difficulty with balance and dizziness, and 29.7% (27.3%, 32.1%) failed to pass four MRT (MRT-4) conditions. Among 3986 middle-aged adults in 2021-2023, 36.2% (34.5%, 37.8%) reported specific balance and dizziness problems (BDP), and 25.9% (23.2%, 28.6%) failed the MRT-4. An enhanced MRT with a fifth condition (MRT-5) increased the discrimination of adults at risk of balance problems and falls. Risk factors for vestibular balance disorders, including age, education, income, cigarette smoking, physical activity, hypertension, diabetes, trouble hearing, and severe headaches/migraines, remained consistent. Reported functional disabilities (hearing, mobility, and vision) were significantly associated with BDP and MRT. In 2021-2023, comparisons of 2084 young adults 20-39 years with middle-aged adults showed increased age-specific prevalences of BDP and falls.

conclusionMiddle-age-specific MRT-4 results in 2021-2023 improved. Balance disorders are associated with other health conditions, increased risk of falls, and need for medical services. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3:

Indexed as

DizzinessPostural BalanceSensation DisordersAccidental FallsAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNutrition SurveysPrevalenceRisk FactorsUnited StatesbalancedizzinessNHANESpopulation‐based prevalencerisk factorsvestibular

Identifiers

PMID41825962
PMCPMC13357311

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.