Quality of life in elderly patients with dizziness: analysis of the short-form health survey in 197 patients

Conclusion Elderly patients with chronic dizziness had a poor HRQoL, which could be successfully assessed using the SF-36, a generic health-status instrument. The frequency of dizziness and comorbid psychological distress were predictive of impairment in QoL. Objectives To evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its relationship to characteristics of dizziness in elderly persons with chronic dizziness. Material and methods A standardized dizziness questionnaire was used to evaluate characteristics of dizziness as well as medical, functional and demographic data in 197 consecutive patients with chronic dizziness aged≥60 years. HRQoL was evaluated using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results Compared with normative data, results from patients with dizziness indicated a pervasive multidimensional decline in SF-36 scores. This decline was most notable in terms of role limitations in the physical and emotiona...