Study of Elderly Patients with Vertigo using the Sehellong Test and CMI
We studied the involvement of autonomic function and psychogenesis in elderly patients with vertigo, using the Schellong test and CMI (Cornel Medical Index-Health Questionnaire) together with the equiliblium test. The rate of patients positive on the Schellong test was similar for the two groups aged 64 or under and aged 65 or over, but change in the pulse rate was more frequent in the younger group, while change in pulse pressure was more frequent in the older group. As for the kinds of disease, autonomic dysfunction and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) were predominant. With respect to the CMI, types III and IV were more common in the older group than in the younger group andwere commonly observed in patients with BPPV. These results suggest that decreased autonomic reactivity and psychogenesis play an important role in vertigo in elderly patients.
