ABSTRACT
Objective: Dizziness and imbalance are common symptoms following head injury that can continue for months or years in some individuals. Chronic dizziness is a serious health concern that can lead to increased fall risk, emotional and psychological distress, as well as work disability. Multiple causes of post-concussive dizziness can present a challenge to diagnosis, and obstacle to treatment. The Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense (VA/DoD) developed clinical practice guidelines that outline recommendations for managing individuals with post-concussive dizziness, but it is unclear how these recommendations impact treatment for post-concussion dizziness/imbalance. In addition, some Veterans may seek care outside the VA or use alternative approaches to manage their post-concussive dizziness. The purpose of this study is to determine factors that contribute to successful outcomes of patients with concussion/blast-related dizziness. Methodology: We will use VA and DoD health databases to identify and examine characteristics of Veterans with specific (for example, inner ear balance dysfunction) and non-specific diagnoses of post-concussion dizziness. Then, we will survey Veterans using questionnaires and access the VA electronic medical records to determine factors that impact long-term recovery of post-concussion dizziness. Specifically, we will examine the impact of factors such as type of treatment, the presence or absence of health conditions such as headache and anxiety, the severity of head injury, as well as age and gender. Findings: We have sent survey invitations to 2724 Veterans, and received 674, for a response rate of 25%. Due to COVID, our mailing schedule has been delayed and additional surveys will be mailed in FY21 to achieve our goal of 1050 completed surveys. Chart abstraction has been completed on 486 subjects.