Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jun;140(6):527-34.
doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2014.490.

Bilateral Vestibular Deficiency: Quality of Life and Economic Implications

Daniel Q Sun  1 , Bryan K Ward  1 , Yevgeniy R Semenov  1 , John P Carey  1 , Charles C Della Santina  2
Affiliations

Bilateral Vestibular Deficiency: Quality of Life and Economic Implications

Daniel Q Sun et al. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2014 Jun.

Abstract

Importance: Bilateral vestibular deficiency (BVD) causes chronic imbalance and unsteady vision and greatly increases the risk of falls; however, its effects on quality of life and economic impact are not well defined.

Objective: To quantify disease-specific and health-related quality of life, health care utilization, and economic impact on individuals with BVD in comparison with those with unilateral vestibular deficiency (UVD).

Design, setting, and participants: Cross-sectional survey study of patients with BVD or UVD and healthy controls at an academic medical center. Vestibular dysfunction was diagnosed by means of caloric nystagmography.

Interventions: Survey questionnaire.

Main outcomes and measures: Health status was measured using the Dizziness Handicap Index (DHI) and Health Utility Index Mark 3 (HUI3). Economic burden was estimated using participant responses to questions on disease-specific health care utilization and lost productivity.

Results: Fifteen patients with BVD, 22 with UVD, and 23 healthy controls participated. In comparison with patients with UVD and controls, patients with BVD had significantly worse DHI (P < .001) and HUI3 scores. Statistically significant between-group differences were observed for overall HUI3 score (P < .001) and for specific attributes including vision, hearing, ambulation, emotion, and pain (P < .001 for all). Generalized linear model analysis of clinical variables associated with HUI3 scores after adjustment for other variables (including sex, race, education, age, and frequency of dizziness-related outpatient clinic visits) showed that the presence of UVD (P < .001) or BVD (P < .001), increased dizziness-related emergency room visits (P = .002), and increased dizziness-related missed work days (P < .001) were independently associated with worse HUI3 scores. Patients with BVD and UVD incurred estimated mean (range) annual economic burdens of $13,019 ($0-$48,830) and $3531 ($0-$48,442) per patient, respectively.

Conclusions and relevance: Bilateral vestibular deficiency significantly decreases quality of life and imposes substantial economic burdens on individuals and society. These results underscore the limits of adaptation and compensation in BVD. Furthermore, they quantify the potential benefits of prosthetic restoration of vestibular function both to these individuals and to society.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: CCDS holds an equity interest in and is an officer of Labyrinth Devices, LLC. He has been a consultant to Cochlear Corporation and is currently a consultant to MedEl Gmbh and Novartis. The terms of these arrangements are managed by The Johns Hopkins University Office of Policy Coordination in accordance with University policies on potential conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Ward BK, Agrawal Y, Hoffman HJ, Carey JP, Della Santina CC. Prevalence and impact of bilateral vestibular hypofunction: results from the 2008 United States National Health Interview Survey. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2013;139(8):804–810. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Minor LB. Gentamicin-induced bilateral vestibular hypofunction. JAMA. 1998;279(7):541–544. - PubMed
    1. Brandt T. Bilateral vestibulopathy revisited. Eur J Med Res. 1996;1(8):361–368. - PubMed
    1. Verstreken M, Declau F, Wuyts FL, et al. Hereditary otovestibular dysfunction and Meniere's disease in a large Belgian family is caused by a missense mutation in the COCH gene. Otol Neurotol. 2001;22(6):874–881. - PubMed
    1. Gillespie MB, Minor LB. Prognosis in bilateral vestibular hypofunction. Laryngoscope. 1999;109(1):35–41. - PubMed

Publication types