Influence of age on therapeutic maneuvers' efficiency in Benign Paroxysmal Positional vVertigo

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is a very common peripheral vestibular system disorder. It is a disease characterized by severe vertigo and nausea and vomiting that occurs when otoliths in the utriculus escape into the semicircular canals for an unknown reason. For diagnosis, some maneuvers are performed to determine both that the disease is BPPV and which canal is affected. The treatment is also done with some repositioning maneuvers and attempts are made to send the otoliths back to the utriculus. However, the success of these maneuvers is not the same in all patients and some patients require multiple maneuvers and the treatment time is prolonged. In our study, we investigated the effect of patient age on the treatment maneuvers. For this purpose, we divided the patients into two groups, one above 60 years of age and one below 60 years of age. We obtained a score by having both groups fill out the Dizziness Handicap Inventory' form both before and after the maneuver. These scores were filled out after the first maneuver and we compared the effectiveness of the first maneuver. The scores before the maneuver were very close to each other in both groups. After the first maneuver, the scores of the group over 60 years of age were found to be worse, but this difference was not statistically significant. Further studies are needed to determine the factors affecting the success of treatment maneuvers in BPPV.