Vertigo and dizziness in elderly patients with neurological disorders

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of central vestibular disorders, vertigo and dizziness in patients aged 65 to 90 years. Methods: We analyzed 735 patients in this age range seen consecutively from January 1990 to December 2009. Results: A total of 32 patients had central vestibular disorders, and 11 had neurological disorders diagnosed by imaging. Conclusion: Vertigo and dizziness occur frequently in elderly people with neurological disorders, and affect their quality of life. Falling is common and may lead to disabling consequences.

Prevalence, Etiology and Risk Factors for Falls in Neurological Patients Admitted to the Hospital in Northern Turkey

“…On the other hand, other studies found that falls generally occurred inside houses 10,18,19 , outside 10 , in other buildings 10 , in the street 18 , in patient bathroom 7 , toilet 18 , corridor 18 ; and that they had fallen due to wet floor 10 , poor lighting 10 , inadequate shoes 10 , walking bare foot 10 , slippery ground 7,10 , posture and gait disorders 10 , malfunction of wheelchair 18 , fainting 7 , and vertigo 9 . Similar to these findings, previous studies report that falls occurred mostly in patient rooms 1,6,7,18 and that the most important causes of falling were loss of balance and dizziness 7,9,18 . Albernaz and Dos Santos Cabral report that neurological patients experienced loss of balance and dizziness very often, therefore falls were frequent among them 9 .…”

“…Similar to these findings, previous studies report that falls occurred mostly in patient rooms 1,6,7,18 and that the most important causes of falling were loss of balance and dizziness 7,9,18 . Albernaz and Dos Santos Cabral report that neurological patients experienced loss of balance and dizziness very often, therefore falls were frequent among them 9 . In the present study, lesion, fracture, laceration and hematoma occurred in patients after falling (7.3%, 2.4%, 1.6% and 1.6%, respectively).…”

“…It was found that approximately one-third of the study patients (33.1%) had fallen during the previous three years. Previous studies determining falls in neurological patients report that fall prevalence varied between 7.2% and 89.2% 1,9,10,[18][19][20] . On the other hand, comparison of our findings with those of other studies with similar research methodology showed the prevalence of falls in neurological patients to be higher in other studies 10,18,19 ; however, in some other studies, the prevalence of falls was lower as compared with our study 9,20 .…”

“…In the present study, the most important risk factors for falls were age, status of balance and fear of falling. In another study that determined the prevalence, etiology and risk factors for falls it was found that factors such as old age 8,10,18,19 , stroke 21 , dementia 21 , Parkinson's disease 21 , peripheral neuropathy 21 , depression 19 , vertigo and dizziness 8,9 , posture disorders 10 , gait disorders 8,10,18,19,21 , balance disorders [8][9][10]18,19,21 , history of the last fall 8,18,21 , fear of falls 10 , use of psychotropic medication 8 , antidepressant treatment 10 , neuroepileptics 10 , cardiovascular medicines 10 , use of antihypertensive medicines 18 , change in the level of consciousness 18 , adverse environmental factors in patient house 10 , use of walking aids 10,21 , lower extremity weakness 21 , muscle weakness 8 , use of inappropriate walking aid 19 , sensory losses 21 , problems in bowel and bladder movements 8 , and significant loss of vision 8,18,21 increased the risk of falls in neurological patients. Although the prevalence, etiology and risk factors in neurological patients varied, we believe that this variatio...…”

“…Albernaz and Dos Santos Cabral report that 32.5% of their study participants had fallen before; 60% of them fell accidentally, 20% fell due to neurological disorder and another 20% due to vestibular disorder, while 40% had neurological disorder and vertigo. They also report that vertigo, imbalance and dizziness were very common in individuals with neurological disorder 9 . Stolze et al found falls in neurological patients to be linked with disorders affecting gait and balance and use of medication 10 .…”