Effect of Epley's maneuver on the quality of life of paroxismal positional benign vertigo patients

Quality of life (QoL) is significantly impaired by vertigo. The effect of specific treatments on QoL deserves investigation. AIM: To assess the effect of repositioning maneuvers on the QoL of benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo (BPPV) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study design consiting of reviews of charts of BPPV patients in a vestibular rehabilitation unit at a teaching institution in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, from 2007 to 2008. Pre- and post-therapy (Epley's repositioning maneuver) scores on the physical, functional and emotional dimensions of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) were analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were included, eighteen (86%) were females; the average age was 53.2 years. Ten patients presented bilateral BPPV; in eleven it was unilateral. The mean interval between assessments (pre- and post-treatment) was 21 days. The average number of required maneuvers was 2.3 (±1.1). Pre-treatment DHI results showed a significant impact of BPPV on quality of life. Initial scores for physical (17.5), functional (17.3), emotional (13.2) dimensions decreased with therapy: respectively 3.7, 3.9, and 3.2 (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: In the present sample, Epley's maneuver had a positive and significant effect on emotional, physical and functional dimensions of quality of life, as measured by the DHI scores before and after therapy.