Introduction: The differential diagnosis of vertigo in children is extensive. This implies an additional difficulty in diagnosing dizziness in paediatric population.
Patients and method: Twenty-three children consecutively examined for paroxysmal attacks of dizziness and/or vertigo attacks entered our study, and were compared to a 15 adults group with benign positional paroxysmal vertigo. Fifteen healthy paediatric subjects and 18 adults were selected as control groups. The clinical characteristics of vertigo, presence of triggering factors, family history of migraine, presence of motion sickness, migraine, and other accompanying symptoms were considered. Neurological, vestibular, and auditory functions were assessed including the performance of a posturography in every group of patients.
Results: The presence of migraine, physical activity prior to vertigo, and positional trigger of vertigo were the clinical elements which differentiated both populations of patients with vertigo. There were significant differences in adult posturography between vertigo and control groups. In paediatric population, there were no differences between vertigo and control group in the posturography study.
Conclusions: The benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood complex is the most frequent aetiology of paediatric dizziness. The duration and triggers of vertigo in children are quite similar to those found in VPPB adults. The instability posterior to vertigo, measured by posturography, were less intense in children than in adult population.