Usefulness of the dizziness handicap inventory in the screening for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the study was to determine whether a newly developed subscale of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) could assist in the screening of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).


METHODS
Retrospective case review.


METHODS
Tertiary balance referral center.


METHODS
Charts of 383 patients (mean age, 61 yr) with a variety of vestibular diagnoses (peripheral and central) were reviewed.


METHODS
Patients completed the DHI before the onset of physical therapy intervention.


METHODS
A newly developed BPPV subscale developed from current DHI items was computed to determine whether the score could assist the practitioner in identifying individuals with BPPV.


RESULTS
Individuals with BPPV had significantly higher mean scores on the newly developed BPPV subscale of the DHI (p < 0.01). The five-item BPPV score was a significant predictor of the likelihood of having BPPV (chi2 = 8.35; p < 0.01). On the two-item BPPV scale, individuals who had a score of 8 of 8 were 4.3 times more likely to have BPPV compared with individuals who had a score of 0.


CONCLUSIONS
Items on the DHI appear to be helpful in determining the likelihood of an individual having the diagnosis of BPPV.
Whitney
Susan L
SL
Department of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA. whitney@pitt.edu
Marchetti
Gregory F
GF
Morris
Laura O
LO
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014717:Vertigo / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014724:Vestibular Function Tests