The prevalence and characteristics of metabolic syndrome in patients with vertigo.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a condition that increases the risk of coronary artery disease and cerebral infarction. We determined the prevalence of MetS in vertigo patients and clinically investigated the association between MetS and vertigo. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study. METHODS: The subjects were 333 patients, including 107 males and 226 females, who presented with vertigo as a primary symptom. MetS was diagnosed according to the International Diabetes Federation definition, which is based on waist circumference, blood serum levels, and blood pressure. RESULTS: MetS was detected in 53 (15.9%) of 333 vertigo patients, including 24 males (22.4%) and 29 females (12.8%); i.e., the frequency of MetS was significantly higher among the male patients than the female patients. The overall prevalence of MetS (15.9%) among vertigo patients did not differ from that observed among general adults in previous Japanese surveillance studies; however, MetS was significantly more common among the vertigo patients in males than general adult males. The prevalence of MetS was also examined in five types of vertigo, Concomitant MetS was noted in many males with vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI) and isolated vertigo of unknown etiology. CONCLUSION: It was suggested that MetS is involved in the development of vertigo in males. MetS might be a risk factor for vascular vertigo such as VBI in males. The high frequency of MetS among males with vertigo of unknown etiology suggested that the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome is involved in this type of isolated vertigo.

Osteoporosis as a risk factor for the recurrence of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) frequently occurs in females over 50 years old, suggesting that a postmenopausal decrease in estrogen secretion might be involved in its onset. An estrogen deficiency is generally known to cause osteoporosis through a reduction in bone mass. This study was designed to investigate a clinical association between idiopathic BPPV and osteoporosis. STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study. METHODS: We measured the bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar vertebrae in 61 patients with idiopathic BPPV who were postmenopausal women over 50 years old using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. After being treated with the canalith repositioning maneuver, the patients were followed up for at least 1 year. RESULTS: Our results showed that the incidence of osteoporosis in patients with BPPV was 26.2%, which was similar to those observed in epidemiological surveys conducted in Japan. However, we found that in BPPV patients with osteoporosis, the incidence of recurrence was 56.3%, which was significantly higher than that observed in patients with normal bone mineral density (16.1%). Furthermore, the frequency of BPPV recurrence increased as BMD decreased. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that osteoporosis is a risk factor for BPPV recurrence. The prognosis of BPPV might be clinically predicted by BMD reduction.

[Clinical analysis of metabolic syndrome in vertiginous diseases].

To explore the relationship between metabolic syndrome and vertigo, we measured waist circumference, plasma glucose, triglycerides and blood pressure in 333 subjects aged 20-79 years with vertigo. We found overall metabolic syndrome prevalence defined by Japanese diagnostic criteria to be 13.2%, similar to that in other national surveys by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The 6-fold higher prevalence in men over women exceeded that of other reports, however. The highest frequency was in vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI) disorders, suggesting that conditions such as VBI in men with vertigo could involve metabolic syndrome as a risk factor for vertigo incidence.