Comparison of the Degree of Handicap Between Different Types of Vestibular Disorders.

Abstract

Vestibulardisordershavehadadisablingeffectbecauseofthesymptomstheycause.Theaimofthisstudywastoevaluatethedegreeofdisabilityassociatedwithvertigoinpatientswithdifferentvestibulardisordersusingahandicapquestionnaire andtoinvestigatethepossiblerelationshipbetweensomefactorswithdifferenttypesofvestibulardisordersandvertigo-related handicapscores. 462 subjects aged 12-90years old with symptoms of vertigo, dizziness, or imbalance were recruited from several public and private centers. After taking the medical history, the patients fillled out the Vertigo Handicap Questionnaire (VHQ). There was a significant difference between the VHQ mean scores of vestibular disorders (p = 0.002). There was also a significant relationship between the male sex and BPPV and blood supply problems, between women with endolymphatic hydrops, vestibular neuritis, VM, CNS disorders, concomitant BPPV, and hydrops, between vestibular disorders and various ranges of hearing. BPPV, neuritis, VM, were also significantly correlated with blood pressure, concomitant BPPV and hydrops, with diabetes and hydrops, and concomitant BPPV and hydrops were significantly correlated with cholesterol. The coexistenceof various vestibular disorders may cause additionalhandicapsand should be considered. Some comorbidities may also affect the degree ofhandicap, although their effects may not be the same. Various factors in addition to the type of vestibular disorder, such as personality, culture, education level, income, and strategies for coping with the disease, may also determine the level of patient-reported vertigo handicap.