Journal article
How Common Are Various Causes of Dizziness?: A Critical Review
Southern medical journal (Birmingham, Ala.), Vol.93(2), pp.160-168
02/2000
DOI: 10.1097/00007611-200002000-00001
PMID: 10701780
Abstract
Background: Although dizziness is a common symptom in both primary care and referral practices, the relative frequency of various causes has not been well delineated.
Methods: A MEDLINE search identified 12 articles containing original data on the etiology of dizziness in consecutive patients. Study sites included primary care offices (n = 2), emergency room (n = 4), and referral clinics (n = 6). Each study's strength of design was graded using nine quality criteria.
Results: Dizziness was attributed to a peripheral vestibulopathy in 44% of patients, a central vestibulopathy in 11%, psychiatric causes in 16%, other conditions in 26%, and an unknown cause in 13%. Certain serious causes were relatively uncommon, including cerebrovascular disease (6%), cardiac arrhythmia (1.5%), and brain tumor (<1%).
Conclusions: Dizziness is due to vestibular or psychiatric causes in more than 70% of cases. Since serious treatable causes appear uncommon, diagnostic testing can probably be reserved for a small subset of patients.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- How Common Are Various Causes of Dizziness?: A Critical Review
- Creators
- KURT KROENKERICHARD M HOFFMANDOUGLAS EINSTADTER
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Southern medical journal (Birmingham, Ala.), Vol.93(2), pp.160-168
- DOI
- 10.1097/00007611-200002000-00001
- PMID
- 10701780
- ISSN
- 0038-4348
- eISSN
- 1541-8243
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/2000
- Academic Unit
- Epidemiology; General Internal Medicine; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984094635602771
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