Qualidade de vida de idosos com tontura

Abstract

Di zziness is frequent in elderly people. Aims:To evaluate the Quality of Life (QoL) in elderly subjects with dizziness, relate it with gender and age. Material and Method:A prospective study comprising 120 elderly patients with dizziness evaluated with Brazilian versions of the Whoqol-bref and the dizziness handicap inventory (DHI). The factor analysis (FA), the Mann Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests, and the Spearman correlation were applied to study the results. Results:The most compromised domains were the DHI physical domain and the Whoqol-bref physical and environment domains. FA resulted in 3 factors in the DHI and 5 factors in the Whoqolbref. There was a moderate correlation (-0.596) in the total scores of both instruments. Males had a better QoL in the "environment perception and introspectivity" and "health perception" factors of the Whoqol-bref test. Females had a better QoL in the "functionality perception" factor of the Whoqol-bref test. There were no significant age differences. Conclusions:Elderly patients with dizziness have a worse QoL. Elderly females with dizziness have worse QoL scores in "environment perception and introspectivity" and "health perception" and better QoL in the "functionality perception" factor compared to elderly males. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2010;76(6):769-75. ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Prevalence of dizziness in the population of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and its association with demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and health status

“…Moraes et al 24 found a prevalence of dizziness of 45% in a study with 391 elderly individuals and Olsson Möller et al 14 found a prevalence of dizziness of 17.8% and 31% in individuals aged <80 and >80 years, respectively. The findings of higher prevalence of dizziness in the elderly agree with several worldwide literature reports 10 , 15 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 and can be explained by the aging process of the balance system, multiple sensory deficits, which are common in elderly patients and accumulation of comorbidities, such as cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological diseases. In a study performed at the University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland, with 266 individuals with dizziness older than 65 years, 37.6% were diagnosed with multisensory dizziness, 5 which reinforces the impact of aging on the increasing prevalence of this symptom.…”

“…Among the individuals who reported dizziness, 63% were females, representing 131,686 individuals in the state of Minas Gerais and this distribution is in agreement with the literature. 25 , 26 The prevalence of dizziness in females has been reported in several other studies, 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 which can be explained by the hormonal variations responsible for ovarian cycles and menopause, 32 , 33 higher prevalence of migraine, 12 , 29 the fact that women more often seek medical care 23 , 28 and a higher prevalence of women in the elderly population worldwide. However, as in this study, some researchers also found no statistical association between dizziness and gender, 15 , 27 as shown in the English study of 2925 individuals older than 65 years.…”

Association between complaints of dizziness and hypertension in non-institutionalized elders

“…The physical insecurity generated by dizziness and imbalance can lead to irritability, loss of confidence, fear of going out alone, anxiety, depression, or panic and can change the routine of life and affect family, social, and professional relationships, in turn causing loss of confidence, concentration, and income 1 . Dizziness interferes with the individual's quality of life (QOL) and can restrict certain movements of the head and body, thus impeding his or her professional, domestic, social and/or leisure activities 3 .…”

Hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia: risk factors for recurrence of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

“… 16 The elderly lose their autonomy and become dependent individuals, which further decreases their quality of life. 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 An important consequence of dizziness is the occurrence of falls, especially for those over 60 years of age, because the effects are even more severe. 4 In Brazil, 6802 elderly people died from falls in the year 2010 21 – an alarming fact in terms of public health.…”