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DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1640379
Prevalence of peripheral vestibular disorders – Results of the FGD-Survey 2015
Although dizziness is a common complaint, data are lacking on the prevalence of dizziness disorders in a large population. The aim of this population-based study was to conduct a representative epidemiological survey of an entire population and describe the prevalence of peripheral vestibular disorders (i.e., Meniere's disease [MD], benign paroxysmal positional vertigo [BPPV], and vestibularis neuritis [VN]) for the first time.
Methods:
This study includes patient's data of 70.315.919 individuals collected by 123 statutory health insurance companies in Germany in 2015, covering approximately 86% of the German population and approximately 1% of the world's population. Patients of all age groups were analyzed (i.e., 0 – 108 years of age). The primary outcome was the prevalence of nonspecific vertigo, MD, BPPV, VN, and other peripheral vestibular disorders based on confirmed ICD-10 codes. The age-dependent prevalence of dizziness disorders and gender distribution of the study population were also determined.
Results:
The prevalence of the recorded diagnoses was 6.5% (6461/100.000 individuals), with dizziness disorders significantly more common among women (n = 2.973.323, 65.4). The gender differences were statistically significant in the entire cohort (p < 0.001). The prevalence of dizziness disorders reached a peak at the age 74 to 94 years and declined thereafter.
Conclusions:
In this first nationwide survey of dizziness disorders in a developed country, peripheral vestibular disorders were common across all age groups. The worldwide impact of these disorders on the healthcare system is currently underestimated. Further efforts are needed to investigate the origin, pathology, and treatment ofperipheral vestibular disorders.
Publication History
Publication Date:
18 April 2018 (online)
© 2018. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Stuttgart · New York