Vertigo in ICF Framework: A Pilot Study

Abstract

NTRODUCTIONVertigo, which is a subtype of dizziness, is a common complaint among patients seen by primary care physicians, neurologists, and otolaryngologists. It is often present along with nausea and vomiting as well as balance disorder, leading to standing or walking difficulties. Susceptibility to vertigo increases with age, affecting 40% of individuals aged 40 years and above 1 . Dizziness and vertigo are frequently reported medical issues and affect approximately 20%-30% of the general population. 2,3,4 Vertigo is a self reported phenomenon that can be observed through various tests like Electronystagmography, Dix Hallpike maneuver, Caloric reflex test, Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential etc. There are many questionnaires available for patients with dizziness/ vertigo which address different outcome measures. The widely used Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) 5 is a self report of activity limitation and participation restriction resulting from dizziness and unsteadiness. However, this inventory does not focus on change in body I Original ArticleBackground: Vertigo is one of the commonly reported symptoms which lead to debilitating effect. The aim is to develop a questionnaire based on International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) in the assessment of activity limitation and participation restriction in individuals with vertigo.Material and Method: The study was done in three phases, Phase 1 was collecting the evidence to capture different characteristics of Vertigo, and mapping on the ICF core sets, Phase 2 consisted of validation of the selected questions by the health care professionals who work with the patients with vertigo and the last phase was the cross-sectional study on patients (N=71) attending at multiple settings using the first version of the questionnaire.Results: The final checklist includes 31 questions. The questionnaire is a 5-point rating scale. It was administered on 71 (25 Males, 46 Females) patients with vertigo. In 12 items, more than 20% respondents reported complete problem (Score-4). In the test of equality of means, item number 12(t=-1.616), 13(t=-1.552) and 27(t=-1.789) were not significant to discriminate low group and high group. Cronbach's Alpha and Guttman split half co-efficient for 17 items of Body functions and Body structures is 0.719 and 0.802, for 9 items of Activities and Participation is 0.739 and 0.858, and for 5 items of Environmental factors is 0.233 and 0.348. Conclusion:The developed questionnaire allows simple, time efficient identification and qualification of the functioning profile of an individual in a simple, time efficient manner.