Introduction: The vertigo symptom scale-short form (VSS-sf), which has three factors, the vestibular-balance symptom with long duration, the vestibular-balance symptom with short duration, and the autonomic symptom, was developed for measurement of the therapeutic effect in vestibular diseases. However, clinical use of the VSS-sf has not been reported in Japan, and there are very few analyses using scores of the factors or each item of the VSS-sf. The aims of this study is to report both clinical use of the VSS-sf in Japan and analyses using scores of the factors or each item of the VSS-sf.
Methods: Participants included both adult inpatients and outpatients with either non-central dizziness/vertigo or vertebrobasilar insufficiency which occurred more than one month before, diagnosed by expert neuro-otologists. Participants completed three questionnaires: the VSS-sf, the dizziness handicap inventory, and the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS). We conducted a multiple regression analysis with the scores of the three factors of the VSS-sf, to evaluate how much influence there was from vestibular and autonomic symptoms on any handicap due to dizziness. We analyzed the scores of each item of the VSS-sf to examine profiles of the symptoms in major vestibular diseases.
Results: The results of 159 participants were analyzed. Standard partial regression coefficients of anxiety, depression, and the vestibular-balance symptom with long duration were significant, however, those of the vestibular-balance symptom with short duration and the autonomic symptom were not. Most frequent autonomic symptoms were headache, chill/flashes, and palpitation in Ménière's disease, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, vestibular neuronitis, and psychogenic dizziness.
Conclusion: The VSS-sf can be conducted without major problems in Japan, and may be useful for patients with vestibular diseases, not only to measure therapeutic effect but also to analyze the influence of, or relation between the vestibular-balance symptom/autonomic symptoms and other clinical variables.
