title: Paroxysmal positional vertigo in the elderly.
abstract: In a retrospective study of 806 patients 70 years of age or older complaining of dizziness, 328/806 (40.7%) patients gave a history strongly suggestive of paroxysmal positional vertigo. This prevalence was higher than in other age groups of 7,269 patients seen in our Dizziness Clinic (33.7% in patients 50 years of age or younger; 26.6% in patients 40 years of age or younger). In 158/328 patients, the paroxysm was elicited and nystagmus occurred; in 135/158 patients, the observed nystagmus, during the paroxysm, was identified and in 131/135 patients, it was of the type described by Barany. It is concluded that: (a) the prevalence of paroxysmal positional vertigo increases with advancing age; (b) the usually observed nystagmus, during the paroxysm, in the elderly is of the type described by Barany, and similar to the nystagmus observed in other age groups.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Bloom
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Katsarkas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009759:Nystagmus, Pathologic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D010037:Otolithic Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014717:Vertigo / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology