Clinical Trial of Vit D and Calcium for Recurrent BPPV

Launched by OTTAWA HOSPITAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE · May 8, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at the effects of vitamin D and possibly calcium supplements in helping people who frequently experience a type of dizziness called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). BPPV causes episodes of spinning or dizziness that happen when you change the position of your head. The researchers want to see if taking these supplements can reduce how often BPPV occurs in people who have had multiple episodes in the past year.

To be eligible for the trial, participants need to be 18 years or older and have had at least two separate episodes of BPPV in the last 12 months. They must also have low levels of vitamin D in their blood. However, people with other causes of dizziness or certain health conditions that could make it unsafe to take these supplements won’t be able to join the study. Those who participate will receive either the supplements or a placebo (a dummy pill with no active ingredients) and will be monitored to see how it affects their symptoms. The trial is not yet recruiting participants, but it aims to find out if these supplements can help improve the lives of people suffering from this condition.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Age 18 years or older
• • 2 or more distinct episodes of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo within a 12-month period on history
• • At least 1 episode diagnosed based on physical examination by trained study personnel, meeting the diagnostic criteria of the Bárány Society
• • Episodes separated in time, with a minimum of 1 week symptom-free between episodes
• • Serum evidence of Vitamin D deficiency, as evidenced by 25-hydroxy vitamin D level of \<75 nmol/L (\<30 ng/mL)48
• • Subject able to provide informed consent to participate in the study
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Potential subjects will be excluded if they
• • have another identifiable cause of vertigo identified on history or physical examination
• • have a history of allergy or medically significant adverse reaction to vitamin D or calcium carbonate
• • have a chronic medical disorder which is a contraindication to vitamin D or calcium carbonate supplementation, including uncontrolled hyperparathyroidism, nephrolithiasis, or GI malabsorption disorders
• • are on loop diuretic agents or thiazides
• • have a contraindication to routine bloodwork for study purposes, including being hospitalized with a critical illness, cellulitis at blood draw sites, or presence of vascular grafts.