title: Impact of multiple etiology on dizziness handicap.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to find the ratio of multiple diagnosis in dizziness patients and to evaluate the effect of multiple etiologies on handicap level of the patient.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary referral center.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data of 703 patients (178 men and 525 women) were included in the study. Diagnoses of the patients were made in a multiple-specialty environment including otolaryngology, neurology, cardiology, internal medicine, and rehabilitation medicine.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients filled the dizziness handicap inventory and pointed the severity of dizziness on a 10-point visual analog scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four hundred thirty-three patients (61.6%) have only one diagnosis, whereas 183 (26%) had two. Three diseases have been found in 34 patients (4.8%), and four diseases were present in eight patients (1.1%). The mean number of diagnosis in one patient was 1.32 +/- 0.71. There was a significant difference between two sexes on the number of disease. There was no correlation between age and the number of diagnosis. There was no significant difference in functional scale, but the statistically significant increases are present in both physical (p < 0.05) and emotional (p < 0.01) scales. There was no correlation between age and handicap levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multiple diagnoses were important factors on physical and emotional handicaps. It was also found that this problem is not limited with older age group.
authors.affiliation: Pamukkale University, School of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology, Denizli, Turkey. fnardic@pamukkale.edu.tr
authors.forename: Fazil Necdet
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Ardiç
authors.forename: Bülent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Topuz
authors.forename: Cüneyt Orhan
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Kara
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004244:Dizziness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires