Depression Scores and Quality of Life of Vertiginous Patients, Suffering from Different Vestibular Disorders

Abstract

Background:Vertigo complaints are strongly associated with deterioration of patients’ quality of life (QoL). Vertigo and dizziness can result in depression and anxiety; therefore, the diagnosis and management of these concomitant psychiatric disorders can improve the patients’ quality of life. The aim of the present study was to contrast the QoL impairment and depression scores of patients suffering from different vestibular disorders. Methods:301 patients were examined due to vertiginous complaints at the Neurotologic Tertiary Rereferral Centre of the Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery of Semmelweis University. These patients completed the Hungarian version of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Symptom-Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) questionnaires. Results:According to neurotologic examination, the distribution of the different diagnoses was as follows: Ménière’s disease (n= 101), central vestibular disorders (n= 67), benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (n= 47), vestibular neuritis (n= 39), other unilateral peripheral vestibulopathy (n= 18), Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (n= 16), vestibular migraine (n= 8), and vestibular Schwannoma (n= 5). The results of the DHI questionnaire have indicated worsened QoL in 86.4%, out of which 33.6% was defined as severe. The Beck scale has shown depressive symptoms in 42.3% of the cases, with severe symptoms in 6.3%. Significantly higher total DHI and Beck scale results were observed in patients with central vestibular disorders, vestibular migraine, Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness and unilateral peripheral vestibulopathy, contrasted to the results of the other four diagnosis groups. The onset of the symptoms did not significantly affect the severity of QoL worsening and depression symptoms.Conclusion:In this study, the QoL of vertiginous patients was worse in general, with the occurrence of depression symptoms. Difference was observed in case of the values of patients with different vestibular disorders, indicating the importance of different factors, e.g., central vestibular compensation, behavioural strategies and psychological factors.

Characteristics of spontaneous nystagmus and its correlation to video head impulse test findings in vestibular neuritis

“…The caloric test showed decreased aVOR function of L-SCCs on the ipsilesional side at low frequency (0.003 Hz) in all the VN patients and DP to the opposite side (UW = 58.51 ± 22.89 > 25, DP = 83.37 ± 25.65 > 30). The UW and DP were (47.60 ± 20.69) and (89.00 ± 27.11) in the 17 RVN patients and were (66.70 ± 22.02) and (79.15 ± 25.04) in the 21 LVN patients, respectively, consistent with previous research results (Molnar et al, 2023).…”