title: Pediatric fibromyalgia and dizziness: evaluation of vestibular function.
abstract: Twelve children with fibromyalgia and complaints of chronic dizziness were evaluated with both clinical office maneuvers of vestibular function and laboratory tests composed of electronystagmography and sinusoidal harmonic acceleration rotary chair testing. All test results were normal for spontaneous nystagmus with or without visual fixation, oculocephalic reflex, dynamic visual acuity, head-shaking nystagmus, Quix test, and Dix-Hallpike maneuver. Electronystagmography test results were essentially normal for saccades, gaze, Dix-Hallpike, pendular tracking, and caloric evaluation. Rotary chair testing was normal in all 12 patients. These findings suggest that central (brainstem) and peripheral vestibular (inner ear) mechanisms do not account for the complaints of dizziness in the pediatric patient with fibromyalgia. The common musculoskeletal abnormalities of fibromyalgia may affect their proprioceptive orientation, therefore giving them a sense of imbalance.
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Wisconsin Anesthesia Department, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53201, USA.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Rusy
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Harvey
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Beste
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D004244:Dizziness / Q000209:etiology*; D004584:Electronystagmography; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011434:Proprioception / Q000502:physiology; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000503:physiopathology*