Vestibular migraine and persistent postural perceptual dizziness: Handicap, emotional comorbidities, quality of life and personality traits.

Objective: To compare vestibular migraine (VM) and persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) regarding dizziness associated handicap, emotional and somatic disorders, health-related quality of life (QoL) and personality traits.

Methods: Thirty patients for each group [VM, PPPD and healthy volunteers (HC)] were studied. Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Beck depression and anxiety scales, Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (SSS-8), Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF 36) and the Big Five Inventory (BFI) were used.

Results: DHI sub-scores were significantly high in both patient groups in comparison with the HC (p < 0.001 for all). Emotional (p = 0.001) and functional (p = 0.022) sub-scores of the PPPD patients were worse. Anxiety and somatic symptom scores of VM (p = 0.026 and p < 0.001 respectively) and PPPD (p < 0.001 for both) and depression scores of the PPPD (p = 0.003) were higher than the HC. Both anxiety (p = 0.009) and somatization (p = 0.005) scores of the PPPD patients were higher than the VM. SF-36subscales were affected in both groups (p < 0.05). Vitality (p = 0.002), mental health (p = 0.045) and social role functioning (p = 0.006) of the PPPD group were worse than the VM. Higher scores for neuroticism (p < 0.001) was present for both groups. Scores for extraversion was low in PPPD patients (p = 0.010) in comparison with the HC.

Conclusion: Dizziness associated handicap, anxiety and somatic symptom burden is high in both groups, even higher in PPPD with additional depression. Severe impairment in QoL is present with more severe impairment in emotional aspects in patients with PPPD. Neuroticism is a common personality trait for both groups with additional introversion in PPPD.