We carried out a questionnaire. survey on orthostatic dysregulation (abbreviated OD) in 63 young female subjects aged 18-19 years. Ten of them were judged to have confirmed OD, 8 had suspected OD, and the remaining 45 were regarded as normal. Schellong test results showed some difference in three items between the confirmed OD group and normal subjects, but the positive rate of the Schellong test in itself was not significantly different among these three groups. It was our impression that a more detailed analysis of this test is needed to increase its diagnostic validity in determining OD.
The Cornell Medical Index-Health Questionnaire (abbreviated CMI) which was modified for the Japanese population with emotional disturbances by Fukamachi was given to these subjects to obtain information about their underlying psychological and emotional status. According to Fukamachi's classification Type III or IV patterns, suggestive of suspicious (III) or probable (IV) neurosis were found in 5 (11.1%) of the normal subjects, in 3 (30.3%) of the subjects with confirmed OD, and in 4 (50.0%) of those with suspected OD. These data suggest a correlation between OD and emotional and/or psychogenic disturbances.
Subjects with OD and patients with vertigo or dizziness who visited our clinic were noted to have similar results on CMI. This does not, however, necessarily mean that some subjects with OD are abnormal or sick, since the CMI itself is intended only as an adjunct to, and not as a substitute for, medical interviews and physical examinations.
