• Ting Yu, Hui Zhang, Yong-Mei Yan, Yan-Ni Liu, Xiao-Feng Huang, Sen Qiao, Qi Yang, Peng Li, Ruo-Chen Jiang, and Dai-Chao Ma.
• The First School of Clinical Medicine, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, China; Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, China.
• Am J Emerg Med. 2023 Dec 1; 74: 140145140-145.

BackgroundBenign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most prevalent form of peripheral vertigo, with vascular lesions being one of its suspected causes. The older adults are particularly vulnerable to BPPV. Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD), on the other hand, is a clinical condition that results from damage of cerebral small vessels. Vascular involvement resulting from age-related risk factors and proinflammatory state may act as the underlying factor linking both BPPV and CSVD.AimThe objective of this study is to explore the potential correlation between BPPV and CSVD by examining whether individuals aged 50 and older with BPPV exhibit a greater burden of CSVD.Materials And MethodsThis retrospective study included patients aged 50 years and older who had been diagnosed with BPPV. A control group consisting of patients diagnosed with idiopathic facial neuritis (IFN) during the same time period was also included. The burden of cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) was evaluated using the Fazekas scale. An ordinal regression analysis was conducted to investigate the potential correlation between BPPV and WMHs.ResultsThe study included a total of 101 patients diagnosed with BPPV and 116 patients with IFN. Patients with BPPV were found to be significantly more likely (OR = 2.37, 95% CI 1.40-4.03, p = 0.001) to have a higher Fazekas score compared to the control group. Brain infarctions, hypertension, and age were all identified as significant predictors of white matter hyperplasia on MRI, with OR of 9.9 (95% CI 4.21-24.84, P<0.001), 2.86 (95% CI 1.67-5.0, P<0.001), and 1.18 (95% CI 1.13-1.22, P<0.001) respectively.ConclusionOur findings suggest that vascular impairment caused by age-related risk factors and proinflammatory status may be contributing factors to the development of BPPV in individuals aged 50 and above, as we observed a correlation between the suffering of BPPV and the severity of WMHs.Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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