Audiologic features of elderly with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common causes of dizziness; it constitutes the most common vestibular disorder in the elderly with vertigo. Its characteristic clinical aspect is dizziness at head movement, with not hearing alteration.

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims at studying the audiologic characteristics of elderly with BPPV of the posterior semicircular canal.

METHODS

We carried out a retrospective analysis of threshold tonal audiometry exams of 37 senior citizens with posterior semicircular canal BPPV and also of 37 elderly without complaints of dizziness and/or vertigo, and we studied the audiologic characteristics of the two groups.

RESULTS

Both groups had high rates of hearing loss, especially the descending curve sensorineural type, and there was no statistically significant difference between the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Having such data, we can conclude that posterior semicircular canal BPPV has no impact on the hearing loss features of senior citizens; nonetheless, because of the spontaneous degeneration of the vestibulocochlear system, such population has a prevalence of hearing loss.