Balance disorders are common and may significantly impact upon quality of life and independence. Impaired balance may result in falls with resulting morbidity and mortality, particularly in older people.
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Summary
Epidemiology
Estimates of dizziness and vertigo in the community range from 17% to 30% and from 3% to 10%, respectively.[1] The prevalence of balance problems at age 70 years is reported to be 36% in women and 29% in men.[2]
Symptoms of dizziness or vertigo may constitute between 1% and 15.5% of primary care consultations.[3] Among the most commonly reported etiologies in primary care are vestibular/peripheral (5.4% to 42.1%), benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (4.3% to 39.5%), cardiovascular disease (3.8% to 56.8%), psychogenic (1.8% to 21.6%), Meniere disease (1.4% to 2.7%), neurologic disease (1.4% to 11.4%) vestibular neuritis (0.6% to 24%), and no clear diagnosis (up to 80.2%).[3]
Last updated
Citations
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