Effects of cigarettes and alcohol consumption in benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo

Smoking was associated with a lower incidence of benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo (BPPV). A larger study is required to establish the role of smoking in BPPV.

To evaluate the effect of cigarette and alcohol consumption on BPPV.

One hundred and fifty-six patients with BPPV and 155 age- and sex-matched normal subjects were compared according to their cigarette and alcohol consumption. Patients with BPPV who had had a recurrence of the disease and those who had not were also compared as to their cigarette and alcohol consumption. The question of whether the length of time until recovery was influenced by cigarette or alcohol consumption was also investigated.

Control subjects smoked significantly more often than BPPV patients, and patients without recurrence more frequently than patients with recurrence. Alcohol consumption was also more common in control subjects than in BPPV patients, but there was no difference between patients with recurrence and without recurrence. There was a tendency for smoking patients to recover sooner than non-smoking patients. Alcohol consumption did not affect the length of time until recovery.