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. AIM: This paper aims at studying the audiologic characteristics of elderly with BPPV of the posterior semicircular canal. MATERIALS AND 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. CONCLUSION: 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.