[Phobic orthostatic insecurity]. / Inseguridad fóbica ortostática.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The authors attempt to expand knowledge about a subjective balance disorder they have called phobic orthostatic insecurity, a condition representing the second cause of medical visits (22.3 %) to their ENT and neuro-otology clinic, and attempt to identify relationships with similar conditions described in psychiatry (agoraphobia, somatoform vertigo, and space-phobia) and in neurology (phobic postural vertigo). They also propose a simple diagnostic method and present their therapies and results. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A total of 151 patients with an indefinite symptomatology of "dizziness" "vertigo" or "insecurity" were evaluated (from 1999 to 2005) by means of a full medical history and an appropriate neurological examination, pharmacological treatments with anxiolytics-antidepressives, a measurement of the degree of depression with the Beck test (a kind of psychiatric benchmark) and with a specific standardized test. RESULTS: Three symptoms and one exploratory condition, among others, were found in all 151 patients studied; these constitute the four bases for a positive diagnosis. This is confirmed if the treatment achieves total remission (this occurred in 69.53 % of all patients) or a sub-total remission (24.49 %), according to valuation scale for insecurity in all situations. CONCLUSIONS: The statistical analysis showed a symptomatic concordance within the group analyzed, a syndromic equivalence between patients and satisfactory results with the antidepressive treatments (94 %), thus confirming the diagnostic and aetiopathogenic hypotheses for the disorder and, later, providing a logical method for diagnosis. The authors propose to assimilate this diagnostic protocol (and therapeutic when no specialist psychotherapy teams are available) to most of the psychogenic insecurity syndromes described.

Inseguridad fóbica ortostática / Phobic orthostatic insecurity

Introducción y objetivos: Los autores describen y tratan de extender el conocimiento de una frecuente afección a la que denominan inseguridad fóbica ortostática que, en su unidad de otorrinolaringología-neurootología, resulta ser la segunda causa (22,3 %) de consultas por vértigos reales o aparentes, así como de establecer analogías y diferencias de dicho trastorno con otras afecciones similares descritas en psiquiatría (agorafobia, vértigo somatomorfo y vértigo espacial) y en neurología (vértigo postural fóbico). Proponen para su diagnóstico un sencillo método, y exponen su tratamiento y resultados. Pacientes y método: Se analiza a 151 pacientes con síntomas indefinidos de “mareo”, “vértigo” o “inseguridad”, seleccionados entre 1999 y 2005, a los que, además de una anamnesis y una exploración neurootológica adecuadas, realizaron un interrogatorio estandarizado específico, un test de Beck (de referencia psiquiátrica) y un tratamiento farmacológico ansiolítico-antidepresivo. Resultados: Encontraron, entre otros, 3 síntomas y 1 condición exploratoria que se cumplen en todos los enfermos y constituyen los 4 pilares del diagnóstico positivo. Éste se convierte en seguro cuando el tratamiento consigue una remisión total (en el 69,53 % de todos los pacientes) o subtotal (en el 24,49 %), según su escala de valoración de la inseguridad para todas las situaciones. Conclusiones: El estudio estadístico permite extraer una concordancia sintomática dentro del grupo analizado, una equivalencia sindrómica entre los enfermos y unos resultados satisfactorios del tratamiento antidepresivo (en el 94 %), lo que permite verificar las hipótesis etiopatogénica y diagnóstica sospechadas ante el trastorno y obtener, consecuentemente, un método lógico de diagnóstico y tratamiento. Los autores proponen asimilar a este protocolo diagnóstico, incluso terapéutico —cuando no se disponga de equipos psicoterapéuticos especializados—, la mayor parte de los síndromes psicógenos de inseguridad descritos

Background and objectives: The authors attempt to expand knowledge about a subjective balance disorder they have called phobic orthostatic insecurity, a condition representing the second cause of medical visits (22.3 %) to their ENT & neuro-otology clinic, and attempt to identify relationships with similar conditions described in psychiatry (agoraphobia, somatoform vertigo, and space-phobia) and in neurology (phobic postural vertigo). They also propose a simple diagnostic method and present their therapies and results. Patients and method: A total of 151 patients with an indefinite symptomatology of “dizziness” “vertigo” or “insecurity” were evaluated (from 1999 to 2005) by means of a full medical history and an appropriate neurological examination, pharmacological treatments with anxiolytics-antidepressives, a measurement of the degree of depression with the Beck test (a kind of psychiatric benchmark) and with a specific standardized test. Results: Three symptoms and one exploratory condition, among others, were found in all 151 patients studied; these constitute the four bases for a positive diagnosis. This is confirmed if the treatment achieves total remission (this occurred in 69.53 % of all patients) or a sub-total remission (24.49 %), according to valuation scale for insecurity in all situations. Conclusions: The statistical analysis showed a symptomatic concordance within the group analyzed, a syndromic equivalence between patients and satisfactory results with the antidepressive treatments (94 %), thus confirming the diagnostic and aetiopathogenic hypotheses for the disorder and, later, providing a logical method for diagnosis. The authors propose to assimilate this diagnostic protocol (and therapeutic when no specialist psychotherapy teams are available) to most of the psychogenic insecurity syndromes described