Clinical Features of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo: Sufficiency of Serum Vitamin D Levels

Abstract

The risk factors for recurrent benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) include female gender and underlying hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, osteoporosis, and vitamin D deficiency. In this study, we investigated serum-active vitamin D levels in patients with recurrent BPPV. We statistically examined the age, sex, BPPV attack frequency, and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (serum 25(OH)D) levels in 60 patients (17 males and 43 females) with recurrent BPPV between October 2015 and February 2023. All the subjects had been diagnosed as having definite BPPV (based on diagnostic criteria).

RESULTS: The ages of the patients with recurrent BPPV ranged from to 9–90 years (median age: 66 years). Women aged 65–74 years constituted the largest proportion of patients. The median serum 25(OH)D level was 18.9 ng/ml. Insufficiency or deficiency of the levels was detected in 59 of the 60 patients (98.3%). The serum 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower in the female subjects (p = 0.015).

Low vitamin D levels have been reported to affect the severity of dyslipidemia, osteoporosis, and migraine headaches, all of which are risk factors for BPPV recurrence. Given the recent reports of numerous healthy individuals in urban areas of Japan with low serum vitamin D levels, we conclude that this study provides an opportunity to focus on vitamin D and its direct and synergistic effects on BPPV onset and recurrence in the Japanese population.