Dizziness impairs health-related quality of life

Purpose Relatively little is known about the level of impairment in patients with dizziness. Research question How much does dizziness impair the quality of life of patients referred to a multidisciplinary dizziness unit? Patients and methods All 2,252 patients completed the Dutch version of the Diz...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Quality of life research 2012-08, Vol.21 (6), p.961-966
Main Authors: Voorde, M. Ten, van der Zaag-Loonen, H. J., van Leeuwen, R. B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Child
CLINICAL AND POLICY APPLICATIONS
Disabilities
Disability Evaluation
Dizziness
Dizziness - complications
Dizziness - psychology
Female
Humans
Hyperventilation
Male
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Men
Menieres disease
Middle Aged
Neurology
Otolaryngology
Public Health
Quality of Life
Quality of Life Research
Sociology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Vertigo
Vestibular neuronitis
Young Adult
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Summary:Purpose Relatively little is known about the level of impairment in patients with dizziness. Research question How much does dizziness impair the quality of life of patients referred to a multidisciplinary dizziness unit? Patients and methods All 2,252 patients completed the Dutch version of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory DHI-D; score 0–100 with higher scores representing more impairment). The results were classified into three categories: mild, moderate, and severe impairment. The three domains in the DHI representing physical, functional, and emotional aspects of dizziness were compared, as well as DHI scores of men versus women, between diagnoses, and the relationship between DHI and age. Results A total of 2,242 patients (64% women, mean age 54 years) completed the DHI with a mean score of 40.6. Almost 70% of patients had moderate or severe complaints. The handicap perceived by patients was primarily caused by physical and functional factors and less by emotional factors. Female patients and patients with hyperventilation syndrome and/or anxiety disorder had significantly higher DHI scores on all subscales. There was an S-shaped relationship between DHI score and age, and older patients reported more impairment. Conclusion Dizziness has considerable impact on health-related quality of life of dizzy patients.
ISSN:0962-9343
1573-2649
DOI:10.1007/s11136-011-0001-x