Patient Characteristics of 417 Dizzy Elderly Patients in Primary Care
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Sex, female, No. (%) | 307 (74) |
| Age, mean (range), y | 78.5 (65–95) |
| Living situation, No. (%) | |
| Alone | 254 (61) |
| Home for the elderly, or other institution | 66 (16) |
| Ethnic background, No. (%) | |
| Dutch native | 342 (82) |
| Western immigrant | 31 (7) |
| Non-Western immigrant | 44 (11) |
| Level of education, No. (%) | |
| Elementary school | 119 (29) |
| High school | 247 (59) |
| College/university | 51 (12) |
| Smoking, No. (%) | 62 (15) |
| Drugs, total. | |
| Drugs per patient, mean (SD), No. | 4.4 (3.0) |
| Polypharmacy (patients using >5 drugs), No. % 21 | 138 (33) |
| Fall-risk–increasing drugs (FRID) 22 | |
| FRID per patient, mean (SD), No. | 1.9 (1.5) |
| Patients using ≥3 FRID, No. (%) | 154 (37) |
| Distribution of FRID, No. (%) | |
| Diuretics | 149 (36) |
| β-Blockers | 128 (31) |
| Calcium channel blockers | 80 (19) |
| Angiotensin receptor blockers | 71 (17) |
| Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors | 67 (16) |
| Anxiolytics/hypnotics | 52 (12) |
| Nitrates | 51 (12) |
| Hypoglycemics | 48 (12) |
| Antidepressants | 35 (8) |
| Antivertigo drugs | 31 (7) |
| Analgesics | 25 (6) |
| α-Blockers | 21 (5) |
| Neuroleptics | 16 (4) |
| Antiarrhythmics | 15 (4) |
| Digoxin | 13 (3) |
| Antihistamines | 11 (3) |
| Medical history | |
| Cardiovascular disease, No. (%) | |
| Hypertension | 239 (57) |
| Ischemic heart disease | 111 (27) |
| Arrhythmia | 94 (23) |
| Heart valve disease | 58 (14) |
| Myocardial infarction | 57 (14) |
| Ear, nose, and throat disease, No. (%) | |
| Benign paroxysmal positional dizziness | 40 (10) |
| Ménière’s disease | 27 (6) |
| Acoustic neuroma | 1 (0.2) |
| Neurological disease, No. (%) | |
| Migraine | 79 (19) |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 66 (16) |
| Parkinson disease | 7 (2) |
| Epilepsy | 6 (1) |
| Multiple sclerosis | 1 (0.2) |
| Locomotor disease, No. (%) | |
| Arthrosis of the knee (gonarthrosis) | 120 (29) |
| Arthrosis of the hip (coxarthrosis) | 78 (19) |
| Psychiatric illness, No. (%) | |
| Depressive disorder | 101 (24) |
| Anxiety disorder | 75 (18) |
| Other, No. (%) | |
| Cataract | 199 (48) |
| Diabetes | 78 (19) |
| Macular degeneration | 27 (7) |