Abstract
Subjective disability in activities of daily living was surveyed with a questionnaire to 59 patients with non-acute vertigo or imbalance (mean age, 60.0 years, vertigo group) and to 102 patients without vertigo problems (mean age, 67.7 years, control group), who visited the otolaryngology outpatient clinic.
1) Multivariate analysis showed that vertigo and advanced age were disadvantageous factors, which tended to worsen subjective disability in activities of daily living, while having a steady job was a positive factor, which tended to maintain the ability to perform activities of daily living.
2) The subjective disabilities in quick head positioning and walking on a rough road were statistically significant in the discriminant analysis between the vertigo group and the control group.
3) The subjective difficulty in going down stairs without touching rail or wall and walking on a rough road was greater in patients with vertigo of central origin. On the other hand, the difficulty of turning quickly while walking was greater in patients with vertigo of peripheral origin.
4) These results suggest that investigations of subjective disabilities in daily living might provide useful information for the diagnosis and therapy of balance disorders, and also help in determining safety factors for patients with vertigo.
