Reduction of recurrence rate of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo by treatment of severe vitamin D deficiency

Auris Nasus Larynx. 2016 Jun;43(3):237-41. doi: 10.1016/j.anl.2015.08.009. Epub 2015 Sep 16.

Abstract

Objective: Several studies correlated between vitamin D deficiency and the development, and the recurrence of benign positional paroxysmal vertigo (BPPV), but none of them proved that treatment of vitamin D deficiency would reduce the recurrence rate of BPPV. This study aims to detect the effect of treatment of severe vitamin D deficiency on the recurrence rate of BPPV.

Methods: The inclusion criteria of the study group were: (1) Unilateral, idiopathic, posterior canal BPPV with no history suggestive of secondary BPPV and (2) 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 level ≤10 ng/ml. All subjects enrolled in the current study underwent detailed clinical history, audiovestibular evaluation consisting of pure-tone audiometry, Immittancemetry, Videonystugmography, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 assessment, and Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Vitamin D therapy was prescribed for the study group. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 level was evaluated twice, on recruitment into the study group and 3 months after commencing vitamin D therapy. According to the results of the second evaluation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, the study group was subdivided into two subgroups: Subgroup (I): including 28 subjects who disclosed elevation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 level; improvement ≥10 ng/ml. Subgroup (II): including 65 patients who disclosed elevation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels <10 ng/ml. The study group was followed up for 18 months in order to observe the recurrence of BPPV.

Results: The differences between both study subgroups (I) & (II) regarding age, sex distribution, and bone mineral density were insignificant. The number of subjects who had recurrence of BPPV in subgroup (I) was 4 (14%) versus 28 subjects (43%) in subgroup (II). The mean values for recurrent attacks/subject in subgroups (I) & (II) were 0.18, and 0.66 attack/subject respectively; these differences between both subgroups were of high statistical significance (p<0.01). The Odds Ratio for development of recurrence of BPPV in subjects with severe vitamin D deficiency was 4.54 (95% CI: 1.41-14.58, p<0.01). The relapse attacks of BPPV affected both ears irrespective of the ear showing the original BPPV attack.

Conclusion: The present study indicates that improvement of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels is associated with substantial decrease in recurrence of BPPV.

Keywords: BPPV recurrence; Dizziness; Vertigo; Vitamin D deficiency.

MeSH terms

  • Absorptiometry, Photon
  • Adult
  • Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo / epidemiology
  • Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo / prevention & control*
  • Bone Density
  • Calcifediol / blood
  • Cholecalciferol / therapeutic use*
  • Comorbidity
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Recurrence
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Vitamin D Deficiency / blood
  • Vitamin D Deficiency / drug therapy*
  • Vitamin D Deficiency / epidemiology
  • Vitamins / therapeutic use*

Substances

  • Vitamins
  • Cholecalciferol
  • Calcifediol