Abstract
Percentage of Vestibular Dysfunction in 361 Elderly Citizens Responding to a Newspaper Advertisement.
Brandt M, Grönvall E, Henriksen JJ, Larsen SB, Læssøe U, Mørch MM, Damsgaard EM
Introduction
Elderly patients with vestibular dysfunction have an eight-fold increased risk of falling compared to other fall patients. We believe that elderly patients with vestibular dysfunction either don’t consult their GP or have been abandoned by their GP. The aim of this study was to identify the percentage of vestibular dysfunction among elderly citizens with complaints of dizziness responding to a newspaper advertisement.
Method
To recruit elderly citizens with dizziness we advertised in a local newspaper. A telephone interview with the respondents was done by a physiotherapist (PT). If the PT concluded that the reason for the dizziness could be vestibular dysfunction the citizen was invited to further examinations. The citizen was tested by the PT and a nurse in the Fall Clinic, Department of Geriatrics, Aarhus University Hospital. If the patient was still under suspicion of vestibular dysfunction he/she was examined by a geriatrician and eventually by a specially trained otoneurologist on the ENT Department, Aarhus University Hospital.
Results
361 elderly citizens responded to the advertisement. 8 patients had alcohol problems, 14 had significantly impaired vision, 42 had evidence of orthostatic hypotension, 49 didn’t want to participate, 50 had evidence of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), and 74 had disequilibrium without dizziness. 124 patients were suspected of vestibular dysfunction and further tested in the Fall Clinic. 71 of these patients have been seen until now and in 37 (52 %) vestibular dysfunction were diagnosed. BPPV was diagnosed in 21 (30%) of the patients having vestibular dysfunction. Of 37 patients having vestibular dysfunction, 16 needed further testing in the ENT Department. BPPV was diagnosed in further 4 patients.
Conclusions
Vestibular dysfunction among the elderly is an overlooked problem and may be relatively simply diagnosed by vestibular bedside tests. In this study surprisingly many citizens had
BPPV, which can be diagnosed by the Epley maneuver or the Roll test.
Brandt M, Grönvall E, Henriksen JJ, Larsen SB, Læssøe U, Mørch MM, Damsgaard EM
Introduction
Elderly patients with vestibular dysfunction have an eight-fold increased risk of falling compared to other fall patients. We believe that elderly patients with vestibular dysfunction either don’t consult their GP or have been abandoned by their GP. The aim of this study was to identify the percentage of vestibular dysfunction among elderly citizens with complaints of dizziness responding to a newspaper advertisement.
Method
To recruit elderly citizens with dizziness we advertised in a local newspaper. A telephone interview with the respondents was done by a physiotherapist (PT). If the PT concluded that the reason for the dizziness could be vestibular dysfunction the citizen was invited to further examinations. The citizen was tested by the PT and a nurse in the Fall Clinic, Department of Geriatrics, Aarhus University Hospital. If the patient was still under suspicion of vestibular dysfunction he/she was examined by a geriatrician and eventually by a specially trained otoneurologist on the ENT Department, Aarhus University Hospital.
Results
361 elderly citizens responded to the advertisement. 8 patients had alcohol problems, 14 had significantly impaired vision, 42 had evidence of orthostatic hypotension, 49 didn’t want to participate, 50 had evidence of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), and 74 had disequilibrium without dizziness. 124 patients were suspected of vestibular dysfunction and further tested in the Fall Clinic. 71 of these patients have been seen until now and in 37 (52 %) vestibular dysfunction were diagnosed. BPPV was diagnosed in 21 (30%) of the patients having vestibular dysfunction. Of 37 patients having vestibular dysfunction, 16 needed further testing in the ENT Department. BPPV was diagnosed in further 4 patients.
Conclusions
Vestibular dysfunction among the elderly is an overlooked problem and may be relatively simply diagnosed by vestibular bedside tests. In this study surprisingly many citizens had
BPPV, which can be diagnosed by the Epley maneuver or the Roll test.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Publikationsdato | 2011 |
| Status | Udgivet - 2011 |
| Begivenhed | 7th Congress of the EUGMS 2011 - Malaga, Spanien Varighed: 28 sep. 2011 → 30 sep. 2011 |
Konference
| Konference | 7th Congress of the EUGMS 2011 |
|---|---|
| Land | Spanien |
| By | Malaga |
| Periode | 28/09/11 → 30/09/11 |