Exploring the role of attention towards balance in chronic dizziness: development of the Balance Vigilance Questionnaire
Author(s)
Ellmers, Toby
Kal, Elmar
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background and purpose: Vigilance towards balance has been proposed to underpin various chronic dizziness disorders, including persistent postural–perceptual dizziness (PPPD). The objective of this study was to develop (through patient input) a validated balance-specific measure of vigilance that comprehensively assesses the varied ways in which this construct may manifest.Methods: We developed the Balance Vigilance Questionnaire (Balance-VQ) through pa-tient and clinician feedback, designed to assess vigilance towards balance. We then vali-dated the questionnaire in 497 participants consisting of patients diagnosed with chronic dizziness disorders (including 97 individuals diagnosed with PPPD) and healthy controls.Results: The final six-item Balance-VQ was shown to be a valid and reliable way to assess vigilance towards balance. Scores were significantly higher in individuals diagnosed with PPPD compared to controls. Although scores were also higher in the PPPD group com-pared to individuals with diagnosed vestibular disorders other than PPPD, Balance-VQ scores did not discriminate between the two groups when confounding factors (including dizziness severity) were controlled for. Scores did, however, independently discriminate between the PPPD group and individuals who experience dizziness in daily life, but who have not been diagnosed with a neuro-otological disorder.Conclusions: Our findings confirm that the Balance-VQ is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing vigilance towards balance. As symptom vigilance has been identified as a key risk factor for developing chronic dizziness following acute vestibular symptoms or balance disruption, we recommend using the Balance-VQ as a screening tool in people presenting with such symptoms.
Date Issued
2024-03
Date Acceptance
2023-10-26
Citation
European Journal of Neurology, 2024, 31 (3)
ISSN
1351-5101
Publisher
Wiley
Journal / Book Title
European Journal of Neurology
Volume
31
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© 2023 The Authors. European Journal of Neurology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Neurology.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Identifier
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ene.16148
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2023-11-28