Relevance of the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale to Urban Community-Dwelling Adults With Diagnosed Vestibular Dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE: To determine how relevant the items on the activities-specific balance confidence (ABC) scale are to patients living in an urban setting and to evaluate additional items relevant to urban populations but not included in the current version of the scale. DESIGN: Cross-sectional clinical survey. SETTING: Urban, tertiary vestibular rehabilitation clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Vestibular rehabilitation clinic outpatients (N=103). INTERVENTIONS: N/A. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Relevance of 16 day-to-day tasks on the ABC scale on a scale of 0 (not performed) to 10 (performed regularly); median relevancy score (MRS) for most relevant items. RESULTS: One hundred three participants (73.7% female, mean age 61.5± years) with vestibular disorders completed the survey. The items with the highest MRS were walking around a house (MRS=10), reaching for a shelved item eye level (MRS=9), taking the stairs (MRS=7), bending over and picking up a slipper (MRS=7), and stepping onto or off an escalator while holding the railing (MRS=7). Lowest MRS items to someone living in an urban environment included walking across a parking lot to the mall (MRS=0) and walking outside the house to a car parked in the driveway (MRS=0). The most common functional activities not addressed by ABC score included navigating the subway/public transit (35.9%) and walking through crowds (32.0%). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed insights about important activities of daily living for those in an urban setting. Results show that the ABC scale should be modified to better reflect the specific activities of urban dwellers.

Head and Neck Region Dermatological Ultraviolet-Related Cancers are Associated with Exfoliation Syndrome in a Clinic-Based Population.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the relationship between ultraviolet (UV)-associated dermatological carcinomas (basal cell carcinoma [BCC] and squamous cell carcinoma [SCC]) and exfoliation syndrome (XFS) or exfoliation glaucoma (XFG). DESIGN: Case-control study. PARTICIPANTS: Between 2019 and 2021, 321 participants and control subjects (XFS or XFG = 98; primary open-angle glaucoma [POAG] = 117; controls = 106; ages 50-90 years) were recruited. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey assessing medical history, maximum known intraocular pressure, cup-to-disc ratio, Humphrey visual field 24-2, the propensity to tan or burn in early life, history of BCC or SCC, and XFS or XFG diagnosis. The multivariable models adjusted for age, sex, medical history, eye color, hair color, and likeliness of tanning versus burning at a young age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: History of diagnosed XFS or XFG. RESULTS: Any history of BCC or SCC in the head and neck region was associated with a 2-fold higher risk of having XFS or XFG versus having POAG or being a control subject (odds ratio [OR], 2.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-3.89) in a multivariable-adjusted analysis. We observed a dose-response association in which the chance of having XFS or XFG increased by 67% per head and neck BCC or SCC occurrence (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.09-2.56). When we excluded POAG participants, head and neck BCC or SCC was associated with a 2.8-fold higher risk of XFS or XFG (OR, 2.80; 95% CI, 1.12-7.02), and each additional occurrence had a 2-fold higher risk of XFS or XFG (OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.09-3.58). The association between head and neck region BCC or SCC and POAG compared with the control subjects was null (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 0.58-3.48). With BCC or SCC located anywhere on the body, there was a nonsignificantly higher risk of having XFS or XFG compared with having POAG or being a control subject (OR, 1.65; 95% CI, 0.88-3.09). CONCLUSIONS: Head and neck region BCCs or SCCs are associated with a higher risk of having XFS or XFG. These findings support prior evidence that head and neck UV exposure may be a risk factor for XFS.