BACKGROUND:

The aim was to determine the demography and causes of the patient with a complaint of dizziness.

METHODS:

This report included the patients with an only complaint of dizziness in ED between 1 May and 1 July in 2008. Age, sex, chronic disease, chronic drug usage, physical examination findings studied with Dix-Halpike and Eppley tests if suitable, EKG, imaging if needed. The statistical tests were descriptive and Kruskal Wallis test with SPSS 15.

RESULTS:

There were a total of 79 patients in this prospective study. The males were 35.4% and the females were 64.6% of the patients. 60.8% had at least one chronic disease. 46.8% had chronically drug treatment. 39.2% of them visited EDs with similar complain in last two weeks. 22.78% of patients were hospitalised. 8.86% of patients had a cardiac problem, 6.32% were psychiatric and others were followed as hematological, inflectional and acute gastrointestinal diseases. The cases were evaluated as the patients with vertiginous and non-vertiginous symptoms. There was not spontan nystagmus in 69.1% of the vertiginous group. Vertiginous group divided in peripheral and central. 44.9% of them had Dix-Halpike test and 30.6% of them had positive findings. 44.9% of them had Eppley maneuver and the ratio of relieving symptoms were 28.6% without any medication in patients within the same peripheral group. In the central vertiginous group 16.7% of them didn’t have any significant central findings.

CONCLUSION:

The patients with a complain of dizziness should be evaluated with all systems carefully not to misdiagnose life-threatened causes.

Keywords: Dizziness, Emergency department