Osteopenia and osteoporosis in idiopathic benign positional vertigo

Causes of benign positional vertigo (BPV) are mostly unknown. The aim of this study was to elucidate an association of osteoporosis with idiopathic BPV.

Two hundred nine consecutive patients with a confirmed diagnosis of idiopathic BPV underwent bone mineral densitometry of anterior-posterior lumbar spine and femur. The T scores were compared with those of 202 controls without a history of dizziness. Recurrence was defined when the patients reported two or more previous episodes of positional vertigo similar to those experienced at the time of diagnosis.

In both women and men, the lowest T scores were decreased in patients with BPV compared with those in controls. Furthermore, the prevalences of osteopenia (-2.5 < T score < -1.0) and osteoporosis (T score < or =-2.5) were higher in both women and men with BPV than in controls. Multiple logistic regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, alcohol, smoking, and hyperphosphatemia showed that only the existence of osteopenia/osteoporosis was associated with an increased risk of BPV (adjusted odds ratio of osteopenia = 2.0, 95% confidence interval 1.2-3.4, p = 0.011; adjusted odds ratio of osteoporosis = 3.1, 95% confidence interval 1.4-7.2, p = 0.007). In women aged > or =45 years, the lowest T scores were also decreased in the recurrent group, compared with those in the de novo group.

Osteopenia/osteoporosis may be associated with idiopathic benign positional vertigo (BPV). The effectiveness of measuring bone mineral densitometry and restoring normal calcium metabolism for preventing recurrences of BPV requires further validation.