Improvement of residual dizziness associated with a low-dose vitamin D-calcium combination (Caltrate D) supplementation in female patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo after successful repositioning: an 8-week retrospective study.

BACKGROUND

Residual dizziness (RD) is a common and debilitating symptom following successful canalith repositioning procedure (CRP) for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Currently, no effective pharmacological treatment exists for this condition. Our previous work identified low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] as an independent risk factor for RD. This study therefore evaluated whether 8-week supplementation with Caltrate D was associated with improvement in RD.

METHODS

Female patients with primary BPPV who achieved successful CRP but still complained of RD at day 7 post-CRP and had serum 25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL were enrolled. Patients who took Caltrate D for 8 weeks formed the treatment group, while those who received no vitamin D or calcium supplementation served as the control group. The primary outcome was the improvement rate of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) total score at 4 and 8 weeks. Secondary outcomes included duration of RD.

RESULTS

Forty-three patients in the treatment group and 48 in the control group completed the study. At 4 and 8 weeks, DHI improvement rates were significantly higher in the treatment group than in the control group (56.2% ± 10.8% vs. 44.4% ± 11.8 and 77.6% ± 6.34% vs. 66.9% ± 9.8%, respectively; both p < 0.001). The median RD duration was also significantly shorter in the treatment group (12 days, IQR 7-18 vs. 19 days, IQR 12-24; p = 0.007) than in the control group.

CONCLUSION

In this retrospective cohort of female BPPV patients with RD and vitamin D deficiency after successful CRP, 8-week Caltrate D supplementation was associated with improvement in DHI score and shortening of RD duration. Prospective studies are warranted to confirm these observations.