Increasing prevalence of chronic dizziness among adolescents: trend study from 36 countries

Dizziness is common in adolescence, but few studies report prevalence and trends. We aimed to examine 1) time trends in the prevalence of chronic dizziness among adolescents in 36 countries in Europe and North America from 2002 to 2022, and 2) how chronic dizziness was associated with sex and age.

We analyzed data from the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study on 11-15-year-olds collected in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 in 36 countries in Europe and North America, n=1,072,505.

The prevalence was stable, around 3 % among boys and 5 % among girls from 2002 to 2010. It increased slightly among girls from 2010 to 2018 and increased to 4 % among boys and 11 % among girls from 2018 to 2022. This increase was similar in most countries. More girls than boys reported chronic dizziness. The OR (99 % CI) for chronic dizziness among girls vs. boys was 1.56 (1.45-1.68) in 2002, increasing to 3.03 (2.89-3.17) in 2022. This gap between boys and girls widened in all 36 countries. The prevalence was higher among the older adolescents. The OR for chronic dizziness among 15- vs. 11-year-olds was 1.11 (1.02-1.22) in 2002, rising to 2.08 (1.86-2.20) in 2022. The gap between younger and older adolescents widened in 34 countries.

There is a need to explain the sudden increase and the widening gap between sex and age-groups in chronic dizziness among adolescents from 2010 to 2022 in most of the 36 countries in Europe and North America.