Older patients evaluated by a physician for dizziness were classified into three subtypes: presyncope, vertigo or disequilibrium. They were further classified by causes of dizziness, with cardiovascular disease and peripheral vestibular disease being the most common causes. Those classified in the vertigo subtype had significantly lower mortality rates than the other subtypes after 10 years. Patients with dizziness caused by peripheral vestibular disease had a lower mortality rate than that of patients with cardiovascular disease. The study included 417 adults from 2006 to 2008. During the 10-year follow-up, 169 of the patients (40.5%) died. Many of the patients still alive at follow-up reported experiencing substantial dizziness-related impairment (47.7%). There was no significant difference in substantial impairment between different subtypes or primary causes of dizziness.
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Prognosis and Survival of Older Patients With Dizziness in Primary Care: A 10-Year Prospective Cohort Study
Vincent A. van Vugt, MD, et al
Amsterdam University Medical Center UMC, Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Post-embargo published article link (link is active on March 9, 2020, 5pm Eastern) http://www.annfammed.org/content/18/2/100
Journal
The Annals of Family Medicine