Prevalence and diagnosis of vestibular disorders in children: A review

Acute Unilateral Vestibulopathy

“…It accounts for about 8% of patients with vertigo 4 ; this is also true for children. 5 The usual age of onset is between 30 and 60 years, 3 and age distribution plateaus between 40 and 50 years. 2,3 There is no significant gender difference.…”

Vestibular assessment in the pediatric population

“…Vestibular disorders in children are not as uncommon as generally assumed. Prevalence rates vary from 0.7% to 15%, although certain groups (e.g., those with congenital TORCH [toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus] infections, prematurity and/or hearing loss) are known to be at higher risk for vestibular dysfunctions . Moreover, recent studies suggest that the impact of vestibular dysfunction may be greater than previously thought and may not be limited to delayed (gross) motor development, but could also be accompanied by learning difficulties (e.g., reading, writing) or cognitive deficits (e.g., visuospatial orientation, attention).…”

Vertigo/dizziness in pediatric emergency department: Five years’ experience

“…A review of all International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision (ICD-9) codes related to vestibular and balance disorders in more than 560,000 distinct pediatric patient visits over a four-year period revealed a cumulative prevalence of 0.45% (10). A meta-analysis in childhood revealed that benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood (BPVC) (18.7%) and migraine (17.6%) were the most frequent causes of VD, followed by head trauma, which accounted for 14% of the cases (11). Nonetheless, the differential diagnosis is challenging, particularly because children may encounter communication difficulties in describing the symptoms they experience (12,13).…”