Quality of life in the institutionalized elderly with dizziness complaint: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Purpose: to evaluate the quality of life in institutionalized elderly people with dizziness complaint and to relate the results to the characteristics of dizziness and functional capacity. Methods: in this cross-sectional study, one-hundred and nineteen elderly residents in three geriatric long-term care institutions in Natal city, Brazil, were evaluated. Those who had presented dizziness in the former year (30/25.2%) were included in this study. The quality of life was measured by the Dizziness Handicap Inventory. Functional capacity was measured by the Berg Balance Scale, the Functional Reach Test, the Unipedal Stance Test with eyes open and closed, and the Falls Efficacy Scale - International. Results: associations were found between physical, functional and emotional aspects and the duration of dizziness (p=0.002, p=0.041 and p=0.004, respectively); the functional aspects with age (p=0.031), the physical aspects with the presence of falls in the previous year (p=0.039); and the physical, functional and emotional aspects of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory with fear of falling (p=0.004, p<0.001 and p=0.016, respectively). Conclusion: institutionalized elderly with dizziness complaints had a low perception of quality of life, and the duration of dizziness, age, falls and fear of falling negatively influenced their quality of life.

Reliability and validity of a questionnaire for diagnosis of clinical gastric related vertigo: A Traditional Persian Medicine perspective and prevalence assessment

“…It is suggested that prevalence of vertigo may be similar to that of the USA in developing countries like Iran (4). In the elderly, fall and fear of falling will negatively influence the quality of life (5). Patients with episodic vertigo reported significantly better quality of life than patients with persistent vertigo (6).…”