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Dizziness in 10 year old children: an epidemiological study
Rachel L Humphriss1, Amanda J Hall
1Centre for Hearing and Balance Studies, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. rachel.humphriss@bristol.ac.uk
International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
|January 18, 2011
Summary
Dizziness affects 5.7% of 10-year-olds in the UK, often limiting activities and accompanied by headaches. This study found no evidence that childhood dizziness is socially patterned.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Neurology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Limited data exists on the prevalence and characteristics of dizziness in children.
- Generalizability of existing studies to the UK population is unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- Estimate the prevalence of dizziness in 10-year-old UK children.
- Describe the characteristics of childhood dizziness.
- Investigate if childhood dizziness is socially patterned.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) (N=13,988).
- Balance assessment and interviews for children reporting rotary vertigo at age 10 (N=6965).
- Logistic regression used to assess social patterning of dizziness.
Main Results:
- Prevalence of rotary vertigo in 10-year-olds is 5.7% (95% CI 5.2–6.3%).
- Dizziness frequently impacts daily activities (51.5% stopped activities) and is often accompanied by headache (60%), tinnitus (20.3%), or hearing changes (17.3%).
- No association found between dizziness and social factors.
Conclusions:
- Dizziness is a common issue in 10-year-old children, affecting nearly half of those experiencing it.
- Rotary vertigo in children often presents with other dizziness types and headaches, suggesting complex underlying mechanisms.
- Childhood dizziness in this cohort was not found to be socially patterned.
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