Idiopathic benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in the elderly: a long-term follow-up study

Background Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common cause of peripheral-type vertigo in the elderly. While some studies have investigated BPPV among the elderly, no study has focused on the isolated idiopathic BPPV (iBPPV) in the elderly. Aims To investigate the clinical features and recurrence rate in elderly patients diagnosed with iBPPV. Methods The authors prospectively reviewed the medical records of 627 patients diagnosed with BPPV, and a total of 370 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The subjects were divided into two groups by age (experimental group ≥65 years and control group 17–64 years), and the gender, numbers of canalith reposition maneuver (CRM) for successful treatment, time elapsed from onset of symptoms to clinic visit, the affected semicircular canal, and the 1- and 5-year recurrence proportion were analyzed. Results The gender, numbers of CRM for successful treatment, affected semicircular canal, and the 1- and 5-year recurrence proportion showed no statistically significant difference between two groups ( p > 0.05). The only exception was the experimental group which took a longer duration from manifestation of symptoms to hospital visit than control group (student’s t test, p = 0.021). Discussion Several previous studies report that the elderly with iBPPV shows more protracted clinical course and much higher recurrence rate than younger adult. Unlike those reports, our study showed no significant differences about the clinical features and recurrence rate between age groups. Conclusion The elderly with iBPPV could be treated as effective as general population.