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Dizziness Symptoms, Balance Confidence, and Vestibular Function in Older Women Reporting Dizziness and Unsteadiness

Objective: The aim of this article is to evaluate older women who report dizziness on a daily or weekly basis, but not seeking medical care for their problems, for levels of patient-reported outcome measures related to dizziness, balance confidence, vestibular impairment, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo walking speed, Timed Up and Go (TUG), balance confidence, depression, and anxiety. Study Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Secondary referral center. Patients: Patients coming for bone density measurements answered questions regarding occurrence of dizziness. Women reporting dizziness on a daily or weekly basis were considered eligible and invited for investigation at the Ear, Nose, and Throat clinic at Södra Älvsborg Hospital, Sweden. Main Outcome Measure: Patients completed the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and were investigated with the video Head Impulse Test, for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, walking speed, and TUG test. Results: Fifty-two female patients were enrolled. Associations were found between high levels of DHI and high distress due to dizziness, and low levels of balance confidence and reduced walking speed and TUG test time. Participants with higher DHI levels reported higher levels of both depression and anxiety. No associations were found between levels of DHI and results on vestibular tests. Conclusion: Women reporting higher levels of distress due to dizziness had reduced walking speed and reported less balance confidence and higher levels of anxiety and depression. The findings support the theory that DHI captures aspects of overall self-rated wellbeing and function rather than structural vestibular deficits.