Vestibular Disease, Vestibular Dysfunction
Conditions
Brief summary
The aim of this international study is to better understand how vestibular disorders affect daily life, including physical balance, vision and movement tolerance, emotional wellbeing, and cognitive functioning. Vestibular disorders are common but often difficult to diagnose because symptoms vary widely from one patient to another. To improve clinical care, we need large-scale information on the real-world experience of patients across different countries and clinical settings. The UCLouvain Vertigo International Survey (UVIS) collects standardized information from adults with confirmed vestibular disorders, including questionnaires about dizziness-related handicap, emotional symptoms, and cognitive-vestibular complaints. Ear-nose-throat (ENT) specialists also provide routine clinical test results, such as caloric testing, vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP and oVEMP), video head impulse tests (vHIT), and posturography. By combining these data, the study aims to identify different patient profiles and to examine how subjective symptoms relate to the physiological function of the vestibular system. Participants take part during their routine clinical visit. They complete short questionnaires (on dizziness, anxiety, depression, cognitive symptoms, and daily functioning), and their ENT specialist encodes the results of the vestibular tests already performed as part of their usual care. No additional medical tests are required for the study. By comparing data from several centers in Belgium, France, and the United States, this project seeks to provide a more complete picture of vestibular disorders worldwide and to support the development of better diagnostic tools and more personalized rehabilitation strategies.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Université Catholique de Louvain
Study design
Observational model
CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 90 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
For patients : Inclusion Criteria: * Age between 18 and 90 years old. * Vestibular loss diagnosed by senior ENT doctors
Exclusion criteria
* Previous neurological disorders (stroke, dementia, …) * Current medication interfering with the testing (reducing reaction time). * Visual difficulties interfering with the testing (Visual field reduction,…) * Age below 18 years old. For healthy controls : Inclusion criteria : \- Age between 18 and 90 years old.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment of dizziness-related handicap | Through the entire study, approximately 36 months. | DHI - Dizziness Handicap Inventory (25 items; physical, functional, emotional subscales). Scores 0-100. Higher scores = greater handicap. |
| Assessment of emotional symptoms | Through the entire study, approximately 36 months. | HADS - Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (14 items; Anxiety and Depression subscales). Scores 0-21 per subscale. Higher scores = more symptoms |
| Assessment of cognitive-vestibular complaints | Through the entire study, approximately 36 months. | NVI - Neuropsychological Vertigo Inventory (22 items assessing cognitive-vestibular symptoms: attention, memory, spatial orientation, visuospatial abilities). Higher scores = more complaints |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Vestibular Physiological Function - canal paresis percentage | Through the entire study, approximately 36 months. |
| Vestibular Physiological Function - Posturography | Through the entire study, approximately 36 months. |
| Vestibular Physiological Function - cVEMP and oVEMP | Through the entire study, approximately 36 months. |
| Vestibular Physiological Function - video Head Impulse Test | Through the entire study, approximately 36 months. |
Countries
Belgium, France, United States
Outcome results
None listed