title: Evaluation of the caffeine effect in the vestibular test.
abstract: Exists controversy about the interference of the caffeine in the vestibular test. Coffee is the richest source of caffeine. While in some services, the patients were oriented to suspend the ingestion of caffeine 24 to 48 hours before the vestibular test, others did not consider the suspension of this drink necessary.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of caffeine in the vestibular test result.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical with transversal cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sectional and matched research. The vestibular test was performed twice in the same patient, with five days interval between the exams. In the first test, the patient did not drink coffee 24 hours before the exam; in the second, the patient drunk coffee as usual. All of the participants had clinical indication for vestibular test and were used to drinking coffee.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nineteen women, medium age of 49.5 years, participated. The average coffee consumption was three cups per day. The complaints of anxiety and headache were associated with the submission to the vestibular test without coffee. The exams were not statistically different comparing the results of the tests performed with and without the coffee ingestion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The moderate ingestion of coffee was not shown to interfere in the results of the vestibular test. Considering that it is recommended that the patient be calm to be submitted to the vestibular test and that the half-life of the caffeine is only six hours, we suggest that the orientation of complete and abrupt drinking coffee suspension of moderate dose before the vestibular test for the individuals used to daily drinking coffee be reevaluated.
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, and Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinoloaryngology and Speech and hearing Therapy, Medical School, UFMG.
authors.forename: Lilian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Felipe
authors.forename: Lilia Correia
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Simões
authors.forename: Denise Utsch
authors.initials: DU
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: Patrícia Cotta
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Mancini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003069:Coffee; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015837:Vestibular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D014724:Vestibular Function Tests
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D003069:Coffee; D002110:Caffeine