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A Comparison of Falls and Dizziness Handicap by Vestibular Diagnosis.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Huang, RJ; Smith, SL; Brezina, L; Riska, KM
Published in: Am J Audiol
December 9, 2021

PURPOSE: There is a paucity of data that directly compares the falls rate and dizziness handicap of different vestibular diagnoses. The purpose of this study is to compare the falls rate and dizziness handicap of common vestibular diagnoses encountered among a cohort of vestibular patients at a single institution. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients evaluated for dizziness at a tertiary care center vestibular clinic between August 1, 2017, and March 19, 2019. Vestibular diagnosis, demographic variables, comorbidities, falls status, and Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) were extracted from the medical record for analysis. Associations between vestibular diagnosis and falls history or DHI were evaluated using multivariate logistic and linear regression, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 283 patients met our inclusion criteria with the following diagnoses: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV; n = 55), acoustic neuroma (n = 30), Ménière's disease (n = 28), multiple vestibular diagnoses (n = 15), vestibular migraine (n = 135), or vestibular neuritis (n = 20). After adjusting for age, sex, race, medications, and comorbidities, the odds of falling was 2.47 times greater (95% CI [1.08, 6.06], p = .039) and the DHI score was 11.66 points higher (95% CI [4.99, 18.33], p < .001) in those with vestibular migraine compared to those with BPPV. Other diagnoses were comparable to BPPV with respect to odds of falling and dizziness handicap. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with vestibular migraine may suffer an increased risk of falls and dizziness handicap compared to patients with BPPV. Our findings highlight the need for timely evaluation and treatment of all patients with vestibular disease.

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Published In

Am J Audiol

DOI

EISSN

1558-9137

Publication Date

December 9, 2021

Volume

30

Issue

4

Start / End Page

1048 / 1057

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Retrospective Studies
  • Otorhinolaryngology
  • Humans
  • Dizziness
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
  • Accidental Falls
  • 4201 Allied health and rehabilitation science
  • 3202 Clinical sciences
  • 1199 Other Medical and Health Sciences
 

Citation

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Huang, R. J., Smith, S. L., Brezina, L., & Riska, K. M. (2021). A Comparison of Falls and Dizziness Handicap by Vestibular Diagnosis. Am J Audiol, 30(4), 1048–1057. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJA-21-00086
Huang, Ryan J., Sherri L. Smith, Libor Brezina, and Kristal M. Riska. “A Comparison of Falls and Dizziness Handicap by Vestibular Diagnosis.Am J Audiol 30, no. 4 (December 9, 2021): 1048–57. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJA-21-00086.
Huang RJ, Smith SL, Brezina L, Riska KM. A Comparison of Falls and Dizziness Handicap by Vestibular Diagnosis. Am J Audiol. 2021 Dec 9;30(4):1048–57.
Huang, Ryan J., et al. “A Comparison of Falls and Dizziness Handicap by Vestibular Diagnosis.Am J Audiol, vol. 30, no. 4, Dec. 2021, pp. 1048–57. Pubmed, doi:10.1044/2021_AJA-21-00086.
Huang RJ, Smith SL, Brezina L, Riska KM. A Comparison of Falls and Dizziness Handicap by Vestibular Diagnosis. Am J Audiol. 2021 Dec 9;30(4):1048–1057.

Published In

Am J Audiol

DOI

EISSN

1558-9137

Publication Date

December 9, 2021

Volume

30

Issue

4

Start / End Page

1048 / 1057

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Retrospective Studies
  • Otorhinolaryngology
  • Humans
  • Dizziness
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
  • Accidental Falls
  • 4201 Allied health and rehabilitation science
  • 3202 Clinical sciences
  • 1199 Other Medical and Health Sciences