Long-term follow-up after acute unilateral vestibular loss and comparison between subjects with and without remaining...

About half of the subjects in this study reported remaining symptoms 3-6 years after acute unilateral vestibular loss. Differences could be seen between subjects with and without remaining symptoms regarding health-related quality of life, anxiety and depression.

To evaluate the presence of self-rated remaining symptoms 3-6 years after acute unilateral vestibular loss, and to compare subjects with and without such symptoms.

Firstly, 51 subjects answered a questionnaire which included the EuroQol EQ-5D, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the University of California Los Angeles Dizziness Questionnaire, visual analogue scales and the Dizziness Handicap Inventory. Secondly, nine subjects with and nine without remaining symptoms participated in an extended testing procedure, including electronystagmography (ENG), determination of vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) and clinical balance tests.

In the first part of the study, 27 subjects reported remaining symptoms, 3 reported 1 additional period of symptoms and 21 had not experienced any symptoms at all in the 3-6 years since acute unilateral vestibular loss. In the second part, the group with remaining symptoms rated a lower health-related quality of life and a higher level of anxiety and depression. There were no differences between the two groups in terms of ENG tests, VEMPs or clinical balance tests.