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The Relation of Dizziness to Functional Decline
Author(s) -
Boult Chad,
Murphy John,
Sloane Philip,
Mor Vincent,
Drone Corby
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1991.tb04451.x
Subject(s) - medicine , confounding , prospective cohort study , multivariate analysis , bivariate analysis , activities of daily living , cohort , geriatrics , physical therapy , observational study , gerontology , cohort study , disease , functional impairment , physical medicine and rehabilitation , pediatrics , psychiatry , statistics , mathematics
Objective: to assess the effect of dizziness on the probability that an older person will die or become functionally disabled within 2 years. Dizziness is a common symptom for which the prognosis is uncertain. This report compares the prognoses for dizzy and not‐dizzy older people in order to assist clinicians who diagnose and treat these patients. Design: a prospective study of a representative sample of elderly (70+) non‐institutionalized Americans. Elderly subjects (n = 3,798) in the Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA) were asked questions about the presence of dizziness, medical conditions, and functional disability in 1984. The cohort was reinterviewed about functional disability in 1986. Outcome Measure: transition from functional ability to disability after 2 years. Results: Bivariate analyses showed that dizziness predicts functional decline but not mortality. Multivariate models revealed that age, race, sensory impairment, vascular disease, and other morbidity are independent predictors of becoming disabled. Controlling for these potential confounders, dizziness does not predict an increased probability of becoming disabled. Conclusion: Elderly people who are dizzy should be evaluated for the presence of these related conditions.