Vestibular findings in relapsing, remitting multiple sclerosis: a study of thirty patients

Our objective was to describe vestibular abnormalities in patients with relapsing and remitting multiple sclerosis. Thirty patients (6 men and 24 women) between 27 and 64 years of age underwent neurological and otolaryngological examinations, complete anamnesis, and electronystagmography. Patients with psychological or oculomotor paresis (or both), internuclear ophthalmoparesis, severe visual disturbances, or locomotion restrictions were excluded. The difference-of-proportion test was used to compare affected patients with controls, with a significance level of 5%. Vestibular alterations were found in 26 (86%) of the evaluated patients, from which 25 presented peripheral etiology and only 1 presented a problem of central origin. There was a prevalence of bilateral peripheral irritative vestibulopathy (20%), followed by bilateral peripheral deficit vestibulopathy (20%) and left peripheral deficit vestibulopathy (17%). The high incidence of vestibular disorders observed in this study indicates that this population might benefit from specific rehabilitation programs. Studies with larger samples are still required and may contribute to the understanding of this pathology.