[Prevalence of headaches and medication use in patients with recurrent vertigo]

Headache and episodic vertigo are common symptoms in adults. Migraine-related dizziness and vertigo is a clinical process that is difficult to assess because specific diagnostic criteria are lacking. Although studies have demonstrated a relationship between migraine and dizziness, the prevalence of headache among patients with episodic vertigo is underestimated. A clinical inventory was used to determine the prevalence of headache among 150 patients with episodic vertigo and the impact that dizziness had on the quality of life using an ordinal scale for disability. Patients were questioned about drug use and self-perceived effectiveness. Twenty-three percent of the patients experienced a severe problem that disabled them for work. The prevalence of headache was 68.6% (71% of women and 64% of men). Forty-five percent of patients with episodic vertigo and 44% with headache did not obtain any benefit from symptomatic treatment. A subset of patients suffered from migraine-related dizziness and vertigo and were able to control their balance disorder with migraine therapy.