The assessment of fukuda stepping test results in prognosis of benign paroxysmal postural vertigo

Comparison of the Efficacy of Vestibular Rehabilitation and Pharmacological Treatment in Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

Aim: The aim of the study is to compare the effects of vestibular rehabilitation and pharmacological treatment in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Materials and methods: Thirty patients (40.93 ± 8.66 years old) diagnosed with BPPV were recruited. Patients were equally divided into pharmacological control group and vestibular rehabilitation group. The pharmacological control group was further divided into Group A (n = 8, 2 doses/day, 24 mg betahistine) and Group B (n = 7, 1 dose/day, 50 mg dimenhydrinate in addition to betahistine). Patients in the rehabilitation group underwent repeated head and eye movements, and Epley or Barbecue Roll Maneuvers were applied for 4 weeks. Subjective assessment of vertigo was measured with the visual analog scale. Static balance parameters were measured with the tandem, one-legged stance, and Romberg tests. Dynamic visual acuity was measured with a Snellen chart, and vestibular dysfunction was measured with the Unterberger (Fukuda stepping) test. All parameters were evaluated before and after treatment. Results: Vestibular rehabilitation resulted in greater improvement in severity of vertigo, balance parameters except Romberg test, and vestibular dysfunction than pharmacological therapy (p < 0,001). There was no significant difference in dynamic visual acuity between groups (p = 0,24). The effects of medication with the active ingredients betahistine and dimenhydrinate were similar (p > 0,05). Conclusion: The vestibular rehabilitation method can positively change the severity of vertigo, balance ability, and vestibular dysfunction compared to pharmacological therapy. Dimenhydrinate administered in combination with betahistine was not superior to betahistine alone but can be recommended for its antiemetic effect.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12070-023-03598-4.

The Association of Gender and Body Mass Index on the Values of Static and Dynamic Balance of University Students (A Cross-Sectional Design Study)

The balance of the body conditions the quality and efficiency of the movements in daily and sports activities, its impairment generating problems in the manifestation of motor skills for all age groups. The aim of this study is to analyze how the gender and BMI values of university students influence the results of the static and dynamic balance tests applied. The investigated group consists of 195 undergraduate students, from various specializations of the Dunărea de Jos University in Galați (99 males and 96 females, ages = 20.16 ± 1.98, BMI = 24.15 ± 5.68). The independent variables gender and BMI levels (underweight, normal weight and overweight/obese) were defined. The participants were evaluated in May 2019 using a series of 7 tests: one leg standing test with eyes closed, stork test, flamingo test, Bass test, functional reach test, walk and turn field sobriety test and Fukuda test. The results provided using multivariate analysis (MANOVA) indicate balanced performance for the gender variable, but with significantly better values for women in the one leg standing test, flamingo test and functional reach test (F values are associated with thresholds p < 0.05). Men obtain slightly better, but statistically insignificant (p > 0.05), performances on the stork test, Bass test and Fukuda test. The BMI step comparison confirms the difficulties of the overweight group in assessing balance, with the lowest scores in maintaining static positions and the most errors in dynamic balance tests, with significant differences from normal and underweight in most tests (p < 0.05). An interesting aspect is the slightly superior performance of the underweight compared to the normal weight group, for the one leg standing test, flamingo test and walk and turn field sobriety test. The analysis of Spearman correlation coefficients indicates a number of significant associations between elevated BMI values and decreased performance on balance tests.