Prevalence av BPPV Among Elderly in Primary Care

Launched by REGION STOCKHOLM · Oct 13, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a common condition called Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) in older adults. BPPV can cause episodes of dizziness or a spinning sensation, and it can lead to falls, which are a significant concern for elderly patients. The researchers want to see if simple tests that check how patients react to certain head movements should be done more frequently for older adults (65 years and older) who visit their primary care doctor with symptoms like dizziness or balance issues, even if they don't show the typical signs of BPPV.

To participate in this study, you need to be at least 65 years old and have experienced dizziness, balance problems, or falls in the past year. However, if you have certain medical conditions that make head movements unsafe, you may not be eligible. If you join the study, you can expect to undergo some tests to help identify any hidden cases of BPPV. The goal is to find out if early diagnosis and treatment can improve the quality of life for older adults and help prevent falls.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• Patients aged 65 years or older and present to the primary care clinic with one or several of the following:
• • 1. Acute, episodic, or chronic sensation of dizziness/vertigo.
• • 2. Subjective or objective imbalance during stance or movements.
• • 3. Presented with increased tendency of falls by exhibiting unintentional loss of balance resulting in a fall one or more times in the past 12 months.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Patients not meeting the above epidemiological and medical criteria described under "Inclusion Criteria".
• • 2. Patients presenting with pathologies in which head and neck movements/manipulations are contraindicated, including (but not limited to): cervical instability, acute head and neck trauma, known cervical disk prolapse, Arnold-Chiari malformation, vascular pathologies such as carotid sinus syncope, vascular dissection and vertebrobasilarinsufficiency, including patients with paralysis as well as those with reduced mobility, in whom diagnostic maneuvers cannot be correctly performed.