Dizziness in the Emergency Department: Insights and Epidemiological Data - a Population Based Study.

Background

Dizziness is a commonly referred symptom in emergency departments (EDs). The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiology of dizziness included acute vestibular syndrome (AVS) in the ED of the University Hospital of Ioannina, Grecce, during a six-month period.

Methods

A total of 60 patients presenting with dizziness to the ED of our hospital during a short period of six months in 2021 were identified. Data were obtained through retrospective and prospective review of medical records. Statistical analysis was based on ÉBM-SPSS Statistics 26.0.

Results

Among the 60 patients, 16.67% received the diagnosis of cerebellar stroke, 3.33% Meniere disease, 16.67% vestibular neuritis, 20% benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, 3.33% cardiovascular disease, and 1.67% had a neurological disease. Finally, 35% of patients left the ED undiagnosed.

Conclusion

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo was found to be the most common cause of dizziness in the ED, followed by cerebellar stroke and vestibular neuritis. A detailed neurological examination is recommended for the diagnosis of dizziness in the ED. Our data confirm the findings of previous studies in the GreeK population of patients presenting with dizziness to the ED of our hospital.