PREVALENCE OF VESTIBULAR HYPERREACTIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH UNEXPLAINED DIZZINESS OR VERTIGO

BACKGROUND—Vestibular hyperreactivity (VH) is a disorder which is debated as a cause of vertigo and imbalance. We studied the prevalence of VH in patients with vertigo and the associated factors. MATERIALS AND METHOD—A total number of 156 consecutive patients complaining of unexplained vertigo and imbalance, without any specific diagnosis, were referred to the audiologic clinic for caloric and rotational test (chair with decaying sinusoidal motion during the Summer and Fall of 1997. Data were compared with those of the 45 healthy patients. RESULTS—VH was detected in 13 (8%) patients. Contrary to some early reports, no significant statistical relationship was found between this disorder and age, sex, thyroid, gynecology, CNS disorder, or motion sickness. CONCLUSION—The prevalence of VH, the yet unknown disorder, in our country was 8%. Since no documented prevalence rate was found in the pertinent literature, and nor was there any mention of VH as one of the causes of vertigo in most evaluations, the prevalence rate obtained in our study seemed significant, although further studies are warranted. Exact criteria and characteristics of VH and whether it is a newly defined topic or a part of other disorders are not yet clear.