Epidemiology of vestibular disorders in the otoneurology unit

The set of symptoms relating to disorders of the balance system are common in the general population. However, there are few studies quantifying the frequency of onset of the various vestibular disorders that present in specialist otoneurology units in the Spanish population. The aim of this study is to establish the epidemiology of vestibular disorders, their form of presentation, and the expected care burden in a specialist otoneurology clinic.

A retrospective, descriptive, observational study of patients referred to the otoneurology unit of a third level hospital between 1/1/2015 and 31/12/2015.

One hundred and seventy-four patients were assessed (121 women and 53 men) with a mean age of 53±17 years. Forty-three individuals per 100,000 inhabitants were assessed over the study period. The patients were referred in the majority from external ENT (36.8%) and primary care (28.7%) clinics. The most frequent reason for consultation was dizziness (40.2%) followed by vertigo (31%). The most frequent diagnoses were benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (28.2%) and vestibular migraine (28.2%) -defined (59%) or probable (41%)-, followed by Ménière's disease (13.8%), vascular disorders (5.7%), chronic subjective dizziness (4.6%) and vestibular neuritis (4%).

The availability of precise information on the prevalence and impact of vestibular disorders is important to enable the health services to plan an appropriate response to the expected care demand in the community. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and vestibular migraine are the most commonly diagnosed disorders in otoneurology clinics. Systematic terminology is essential for the comparison of results.