BACKGROUND It has been suggested that patients with heart failure (HF) have an increased fall rate. Although balance is one of the most important risk factors for fall, there is not sufficient information about balance in HF. OBJECTIVE To compare static, dynamic and functional balance between patients with HF and healthy controls. METHODS Twenty-seven patients with HF and 22 healthy controls were recruited in this study. The Unilateral Stance (US) and Limits of Stability (LOS) tests were used to measure static and dynamic balance, respectively. Functional balance was assessed with Berg Balance Scale. RESULTS There was no significant difference in age, gender and body mass index between the groups (p > 0.05). There was a significant difference in US with open eyes between the groups (p < 0.05). Reaction time (backward and left), endpoint excursion (backward), maximum excursion (forward and backward) and directional control (forward and right) variables of LOS were significantly different between the groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Patients with HF have impaired static, dynamic and functional balance. Considering the balance impairment, a comprehensive balance assessment performed and balance training should be included in the management of HF as a part of the cardiac rehabilitation program.

中文翻译：

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心力衰竭患者的平衡表现

背景已经表明，心力衰竭（HF）患者的跌倒率增加。尽管平衡是跌倒最重要的风险因素之一，但关于 HF 平衡的信息还不够充分。目的 比较 HF 患者和健康对照组之间的静态、动态和功能平衡。方法 本研究招募了 27 名 HF 患者和 22 名健康对照者。单边姿态 (US) 和稳定性极限 (LOS) 测试分别用于测量静态和动态平衡。使用伯格平衡量表评估功能平衡。结果各组间年龄、性别和体重指数无显着差异（p > 0.05）。两组之间睁眼的 US 存在显着差异（p < 0.05）。反应时间（向后和向左），LOS 的终点偏移（向后）、最大偏移（向前和向后）和方向控制（向前和向右）变量在组间显着不同（p < 0.05）。结论 HF 患者的静态、动态和功能平衡受损。考虑到平衡障碍，作为心脏康复计划的一部分，心衰管理中应包括进行全面的平衡评估和平衡训练。