2
Key Points
Î A primary complaint of dizziness accounts for 5.6 million clinic visits
in the United States per year.
Î Between 17% and 42% of patients with vertigo ultimately receive a
diagnosis of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).
Î BPPV can recover spontaneously in approximately 20% of patients by
one month of follow-up and up to 50% at three months.
Î Patients with BPPV are at increased risk for falls and impairment in
the performance of daily activities and adverse effects on individual
health-related quality of life and utility measures.
Î BPPV is most commonly clinically encountered as one of two variants:
• Posterior canal BPPV is more common than horizontal canal BPPV, constituting
approximately 85–95% of BPPV cases.
• Lateral (horizontal) canal BPPV accounts for between 5% and 15% of BPPV
cases.
