Diagnosis of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo Using a Questionnaire in a Hospital Based Rural Setting in India

To develop and validate a simple questionnaire for the diagnosis of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) and also to accurately predict the involved side in BPPV. Patients (N = 148) who presented with dizziness to the ENT department were asked to fill out a questionnaire which was formulated to diagnose BPPV and the affected side. Five questions were part of the questionnaire. The fifth question was set to ascertain the affected side in BPPV. All the patients underwent a detailed neuro-otological examination and the findings were noted. The findings of the examination were correlated with the questionnaire findings. The mean age of the patient group was 54.72 years of age. The sensitivity of the questionnaire in detecting BPPV was 94.5%, though in 12.79% (n = 11) the side was not predicted correctly. The specificity of the questionnaire was 91.22%. The positive predictive value of the questionnaire in detecting BPPV was assessed at 94.5%.The questionnaire can be effectively used in predicting BPPV amongst patients presenting with dizziness and thus helps in avoiding unnecessary imaging and referrals to higher centres in view of suspicion of central causes of dizziness.