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Dizziness and vertigo in an older population: the Blue Mountains prospective cross‐sectional study
Author(s) -
Gopinath B.,
McMahon C.M.,
Rochtchina E.,
Mitchell P.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
clinical otolaryngology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.914
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1749-4486
pISSN - 1749-4478
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-4486.2009.02025.x
Subject(s) - vertigo , medicine , tinnitus , audiology , hearing loss , quality of life (healthcare) , confidence interval , cross sectional study , odds ratio , vestibular system , population , prospective cohort study , physical therapy , surgery , nursing , environmental health , pathology
Objectives: We aimed to reassess the prevalence and personal burden of dizziness/vertigo, and to assess the relationship with hearing loss and tinnitus in older adults. Design: Prospective cross‐sectional study. Setting: Blue Mountains region, west of Sydney, Australia. Participants: We examined 2751 of 2956 (aged 50+ years) Blue Mountains Hearing Study participants. Main outcome measures: Audiologists screened participants for reported dizziness using a single question. Questions from the Dizziness Handicap Inventory were used to assess the impacts of dizziness/vertigo. Hearing impairment was determined as the pure‐tone average of audiometric hearing thresholds at 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz (PTA 0.5–4 KHz ), defining any hearing loss as PTA 0.5–4 KHz >25 dB HL. Presence of tinnitus was assessed by a positive response to a single question. Quality of life was measured using the Short Form 36‐item Health Survey (SF‐36). Each SF‐36 dimension was scored from 0 (worst possible health state) to 100 (best possible health state). Results: Prevalences of dizziness/vertigo, vestibular vertigo and non‐vestibular vertigo were 36.2%, 10.0% and 14.2%, respectively. Of the dizziness/vertigo reports, 27.7% and 39.3%, respectively, were attributed to vestibular and non‐vestibular vertigo. Tinnitus was associated with dizziness, odds ratio, OR, 1.99 (95% confidence interval, CI, 1.68–2.35). However, hearing loss was not associated with dizziness/vertigo. Participants reporting dizziness/vertigo had lower quality of life scores ( P < 0.0001). Participants reporting vestibular vertigo were more likely than those with non‐vestibular vertigo to report higher DHI scale scores or a greater handicap. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the burden imposed by dizziness, indicating dizziness/vertigo are important public health care issues. Clin. Otolaryngol. 2009, 34 , 552–556.