Otoneurology and symptoms profile in patients with vertigo

Abstract

Introduction: Corporal balance maintenance during head and body movement depends on an harmonic interaction between the motor sensorial systems and an accurate processing of these informations. If there’s any injury in any of these systems, a mismatch will occur in the information causing a conflict, when may appear symptoms of bodily imbalance and vestibular syndromes that affect the quality of life due to the limitation imposed by the symptoms. Objective: to describe the results obtained on the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (Brazilian DHI) application and compare with the hearing and vestibular evaluation in the population studied. Method: This research was developed in a private clinic in the city of Caxias do Sul-RS, where 29 patients, of both genders and aged beteween to 20 and 74, were directed by a doctor and submitted to otoneurology exam because of dizziness complaints. The patientes were submitted to auditive evaluation, vestibular evaluation, Vectoelectronystagmography and to the application of the Brazilian version of the DHI. Results: 16 exams with no vestibular alterations, 8 peripheral vestibular hypofunction syndrome and 5 peripheral vestibular hyperfunction syndrome. Conclusions: Regarding the syntomatology, the study demonstrated the presence of otoneurological syntoms that are common in the different vestibular disturbs. By the Brazilian DHI application, it was possible to verify that both patients with vestibular syndroms and those who had exams with no alterations presented damages in life quality, no matter what was the aspect analysed. Anyway, the vestibular hypofunction syndrome has elevated percentuals of answers in all aspects. In the auditory evaluation, we found bigger incidence of hearing loss among the vestibular hypofunction syndrome.