Current Insights into Treating Vertigo in Older Adults

The number of older people has been increasing over recent decades in Western populations. Dizziness, imbalance, and vertigo constitute some of the most common complaints in older patients, and risk of falling is the most frequent and worrying consequence. It has been reported that 15–20% of the adu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Drugs & aging 2021-08, Vol.38 (8), p.655-670
Main Authors: Casani, Augusto Pietro, Gufoni, Mauro, Capobianco, Silvia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Disease
Drug therapy
Falls
Geriatrics/Gerontology
Hearing loss
Internal Medicine
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Older people
Orthostatic hypotension
Pathogenesis
Patients
Pharmacology/Toxicology
Pharmacotherapy
Population
Posture
Rehabilitation
Review
Review Article
Vertigo
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Summary:The number of older people has been increasing over recent decades in Western populations. Dizziness, imbalance, and vertigo constitute some of the most common complaints in older patients, and risk of falling is the most frequent and worrying consequence. It has been reported that 15–20% of the adult population experiences these debilitating symptoms. Among the diseases that may be associated with vertigo, the three classes of otological, central, and functional (psychological) dizziness may be distinguished. Overall, vestibular disorders account for 48% of vertiginous complaints in the older population. The main focus of this article is to review the forms of pharmacotherapy for vertigo, especially with regard to older patients, who may be treated simultaneously with other drugs for different comorbidities. Interactions with other drugs should be considered in the choice of a particular course of treatment. Moreover, overuse of pharmacotherapy for the management of vertigo in the elderly may prevent the development of the central compensatory mechanism that sustains both static and dynamic imbalance after a vertiginous crisis. In the majority of patients, vestibular and physical rehabilitation are strongly advised and rarely contraindicated.
ISSN:1170-229X
1179-1969
DOI:10.1007/s40266-021-00877-z