Vertigo And Dizziness Related Disorders: Clinical Spectrum and Management in A Clinic Based Otolaryngology Practice in an Urban Centre

• Background: Vertigo / dizziness is a common problem encountered in clinical practice. It is described in different ways by each patient. Hence, it becomes difficult for the clinician to interpret and manage dizziness suffered by the patients. • Objective: To study demographics, types of vertigo / dizziness, its impact on the quality of life and management in a UAE otolaryngology clinic • Method: This is a retrospective, observational, descriptive study of patients presenting with dizziness in our medical facility, between September 2019 to March 2022. • Result: In the present study, 58.61% of the patients were male. Average age of the study population was 42.69 years. Vertigo/spinning type of dizziness was the most reported symptom. Most reported associated symptom was nausea, and the trigger was ‘head movement’. 56.30% of the study population was diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Most used diagnostic tool was Dix-Hallpike maneuver, and the management method was particle repositioning maneuver. The average baseline Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) score was 19.37 (± 13.46), which reduced to 9.22 (±10.94) three weeks after treatment (p value <0.0001). • Conclusion: Vertigo / dizziness related to peripheral causes accounts for a significant proportion of cases in routine otolaryngology practice. From our study we can easily conclude that vertigo / dizziness related disorders negatively affect QOL. Proper diagnosis and management would help to improve the symptoms and QOL. Simple office-based, patient-oriented detail history taking, and clinical examination is important in the diagnosis and management of the dizziness. History taking or questions should focus on the type of dizziness, associated features, duration, and triggers which would help in pinpointing differential diagnosis and the management. Red flags like focal neurological signs should be taken seriously and investigated further. Keywords: Dizziness, vertigo, Dix-Hallpike maneuver, particle repositioning maneuver, DHI