Risk factor of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in trauma patients: A retrospective analysis using Korean trauma database

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a comorbid condition prevalent in patients recovering from trauma. Due to the paucity of studies investigating the etiology of this condition, the present study sought to analyze the high-risk group of BPPV patients following trauma. Trauma patients visiting the emergency department from January to December 2016 were enrolled. The study excluded patients with minor superficial injuries, those who were dead, and those discharged within 2 days after their visit. The medical records were reviewed, and every abbreviated injury score, injury severity score, and other clinical characteristics, such as age and sex, were gathered. A diagnosis of BPPV was reached only after a provocation test was administered by an otolaryngologist. The correlation was statistically analyzed. A total of 2219 trauma patients were analyzed. The mean age of the patients was 52.6 years, and the mean injury severity score (ISS) was 7.9. About 70% of the patients were men. Additional BPPV patients were identified among patients with injuries to head and neck, chest, and abdomen, and those with external injuries. However, patients with head and neck (odds ratio [OR] (95% confidence interval [CI]) = 10.556 (1.029–108.262), and abdominal injury (OR [95% CI] = 78.576 [1.263–4888.523]) showed statistically significant correlation with BPPV in the logistic regression analysis. Patients—not only those with head and neck injuries but those with abdominal injuries—who complain of dizziness need to be evaluated for BPPV using provocation tests. Further studies investigating traumatic BPPV are needed.