Challenges and Opportunities in Managing the Dizzy Older Adult

Balance disorders are common in elderly people, not only resulting in distressing sensations but also leading to reduced activity levels and quality of life. It has been estimated that 30% of elderly patients experience a balance disorder. Managing these disorders is a substantial challenge for patients and their caregivers and physicians. Moreover, abnormalities in balance are associated with falls, a major cause of morbidity and mortality for elderly people. Management is complicated by the inherent difficulties in assessing the generic complaint of dizziness, as well as the likelihood of multiple, often nonvestibular causes. The authors of this mini-seminar review both vestibular and nonvestibular causes of balance disorders in elderly people, emphasizing practical therapeutic maneuvers that can be used

Post-traumatic Dizziness

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is an increasingly common disorder seen in particular situations (athletics, military service, etc.) and in the general population. This disorder is largely synonymous with concussion and is associated with a variety of acute, subacute, and even chronic consequences. One of the most common sequelae of mTBI (at any time epoch) is dizziness. In this chapter, we explore the nature of post-traumatic dizziness and provide an introduction into the related topics of diagnosis and treatment of mTBI