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Scientific article
Open access
English

DISCOHAT: An Acronym to Describe the Spectrum of Symptoms Related to Bilateral Vestibulopathy

Published inFrontiers in neurology, vol. 12, 771650
Publication date2021
First online date2021-11-12
Abstract

Objective: To assess the prevalence of each symptom listed in the acronym DISCOHAT (worsening of symptoms in Darkness and/or uneven ground, Imbalance, Supermarket effect, Cognitive complaints, Oscillopsia, Head movements worsen symptoms, Autonomic complaints, and Tiredness) in patients with bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP), compared to patients with unilateral vestibulopathy (UVP).

Methods: A descriptive case-control study was performed on BVP and UVP patients who were evaluated for their vestibular symptoms by two of the authors (RvdB, MCG) at a tertiary referral center, between 2017 and 2020. During history taking, the presence of each DISCOHAT symptom was checked and included in the electronic health record. Presence of a symptom was categorized into: "present," "not present," and "missing."

Results: Sixty-six BVP patients and 144 UVP patients were included in this study. Prevalence of single DISCOHAT symptoms varied from 52 to 92% in BVP patients and 18-75% in UVP patients. Patients with BVP reported "worsening of symptoms in darkness," "imbalance," "oscillopsia," and "worsening of symptoms with fast head movements" significantly more than UVP patients (p ≤ 0.004).

Conclusion: The DISCOHAT acronym is able to capture a wide spectrum of symptoms related to vestibulopathy, while it is easy and quickly to use in clinic. Application of this acronym might facilitate a more thorough and uniform assessment of bilateral vestibulopathy, within and between vestibular clinics worldwide.

eng
Keywords
  • History taking
  • Vestibular areflexia
  • Vestibular disorders
  • Vestibular hypofunction
  • Vestibulopathy
Citation (ISO format)
PAREDIS, Sophie et al. DISCOHAT: An Acronym to Describe the Spectrum of Symptoms Related to Bilateral Vestibulopathy. In: Frontiers in neurology, 2021, vol. 12, p. 771650. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2021.771650
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ISSN of the journal1664-2295
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