Guidelines for dizziness therapy revamped

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 3 (UPI) -- A U.S. doctors group is issuing new guidelines for treating dizziness caused by a common inner ear ailment.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery Foundation has come up with a comprehensive clinical protocal healthcare practitioners can use to identify and treat patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV. The guideline emphasizes evidence-based recommendations on managing BPPV, the most common inner ear disorder in adults.

BPPV causes feelings of vertigo, dizziness, and nausea. It can be brought on by abrupt changes in movement, such as standing up or turning the head suddenly. The condition usually begins to affect people after the age of 50, but it can affect younger patients.

Some of the recommendations include:

-- A strong recommendation for clinicians to diagnose posterior semicircular canal BPPV with an office-based diagnostic test.

-- A recommendation for clinicians to also test patients for a second type of BPPV when initial testing is not conclusive.

-- Clinicians should differentiate BPPV from other causes of imbalance, dizziness and vertigo.

-- Clinicians should question patients with BPPV for factors that modify management including impaired mobility or balance.

The guidelines appear as a supplement to the November issue of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery.