Methods Patientsĭuring the study period, a total of 3,216 patients visited the specialized Center for Vertigo and Dizziness at Jena University Hospital between January 2013 and November 2017. Dizziness and vertigo is not the same, but patients' description of vertigo and dizziness often is not suited to assign them to vestibular and non-vestibular origin ( 15). Here, patients with chronic dizziness or vertigo were assessed with symptoms lasting over more than 3 months. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between DAS and DHI in older adults referred to a multidisciplinary dizziness unit. Little is known about these dizziness associated symptoms (DAS) and their association to dizziness handicap. Older patients with dizziness score higher in DHI than younger patients ( 13– 15) and also multimorbidity is correlated to higher DHI scores ( 16).ĭizziness and vertigo are often associated with additional symptoms, such as headache, visual problems, or nausea. In patients with vestibular disorders aged 65 years or higher, the DHI score has been shown to have a significant association with the Timed Up and Go test and usual gait speed using the timed 10-meter walk test ( 12). Mean DHI score was 5.6 ± 11.2, consistent with the absence of self-reported dizziness handicap in healthy people 70 years and older ( 11). The Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) was developed to quantify the self-reported impact of dizziness on daily life ( 10). Thus, dizziness results in a significant increase of functional impairment in daily life activities. The incidence of dizziness increases with older age ( 5) and leads to physical inactivity ( 6) and disability ( 7), a higher risk of falls ( 8), and social isolation and depression ( 9). However, symptoms of dizziness and vertigo often are described rather imprecisely and vague and symptoms often overlap ( 4). It is more common in women and in older adults and has a profound effect on daily functioning and health-related quality of life ( 3). Dizziness may have various causes and can occur in peripheral, central, and “higher” vestibular disorders. According to the International Bárány Society for Neuro-Otology, vertigo and dizziness can be distinguished in that way that “vertigo is the sensation of self-motion when no self-motion is occurring dizziness is the sensation of disturbed or impaired spatial orientation without a false or distorted sense of motion and imbalance or unsteadiness is the feeling of being unstable while seated, standing, or walking without a particular directional preference” ( 2). Vertigo and dizziness are common complaints in the general population ( 1). A multifactorial assessment including these symptoms may assist in tailoring therapies to alleviate dizziness handicap in this group. In the one-way MANOVA visual problems and headache had an effect on all three DHI subscores, while hearing impairment was associated with the functional and emotional subscores of DHI.Ĭonclusion: Distinct dizziness associated symptoms have substantial impact on dizziness handicap in older adults.

Network analysis revealed that visual disturbances, headache, and hearing impairment were associated with higher DHI and explained 12% of the DHI variance in the linear regression. Most frequent dizziness associated symptoms were ear noise/tinnitus, visual problems, and nausea/vomiting. Results: Most patients reported swaying dizziness (60.6%) and feeling of unsteadiness (59.8%) with substantial overlap between the types of dizziness. One-way MANOVA and networking analysis were used to analyze the impact of dizziness associated symptoms on dizziness handicap. Medical diagnoses were collected from the medical records of the patients. The DHI subscores (physical, functional, emotional) were calculated. Participants completed self-report questionnaires with general questions about symptoms of dizziness as well as the DHI. Methods: In total, 785 individuals referred to a multidisciplinary dizziness unit were assessed. 4Center for Vertigo and Dizziness, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germanyīackground: A cross-sectional observational study was designed to determine the impact of dizziness associated symptoms on the dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) in older adults (≥60 years).3Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany.2Center for Healthy Ageing, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.1Department of Geriatrics, Halle University Hospital, Halle, Germany.Zipprich 2,3, Sigrid Finn 3,4 and Hubertus Axer 3,4 * Tino Prell 1,2, Alexander Wassermann 3,4, Hannah M.

Dizziness handicap inventory online