Short-term effects of lifestyle modification on vestibular migraine

Abstract

Objective: Our primary purpose was evaluation of early benefits of lifestyle modification on symptoms of vestibular migraine. The secondary purpose was to determine if a patient's global sense of coping relates to outcomes with lifestyle modification.

Design: Prospective observational cohort. Participants completed questionnaires related to dizziness handicap, headache disability, and adherence to lifestyle modifications at baseline and weekly over 30 d. Sense of coping was measured pre-intervention.

Study sample: Thirty-eight patients with vestibular migraine diagnosed in tertiary care setting between 2022 and 2023.

Results: Symptoms were better at all four weeks post-intervention than pre-intervention (p < 0.01), with no difference across weeks two through four (p > 0.10) when symptoms were lowest and stable. By week two, 52% and 18.5% of participants had significant improvement in dizziness and headache compared to published critical difference scores, respectively. Sense of coping was inversely correlated with dizziness (R = -0.53, p < 0.00001) and headache (R = -0.64, p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: Lifestyle modification reduced dizziness and headache in many vestibular migraineurs in the first two weeks following intervention. Improvement in restful sleep was associated with improvement in symptoms. Sense of coping did not predict improvement but was inversely related to symptoms. Lifestyle modification could be considered as sole management or in addition to pharmacological intervention.

Keywords: Dizziness; headache; lifestyle modification; sense of coherence; vestibular; vestibular migraine.