Introduction and objective:

The presence of personality disorders in patients with vertigo has been reported in several articles. The connections between the vestibular system and emotion processing are the cause that supports said association. Vestibular rehabilitation is emerging as the treatment for chronic uncompensated vertigo, but it raises the question of whether it will be sufficient by itself in patients with personality disorders or whether it should be accompanied by other therapies aimed at these alterations. The aim of the study is to analyze the possible influence of personality disorders in the self-perception of disability using the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) and the parameters of static posturography, before and after vestibular rehabilitation.

Method:

Prospective study of 55 patients diagnosed with chronic vertigo treated with eight sessions of vestibular rehabilitation. The patients completed the DHI and the Salamanca questionnaire before and after the treatment was administered.

Results:

65% of the patients had personality disorders. Anxiety traits were associated with peripheral vertigo and schizoid traits with central vertigo. In every patient, the DHI score improved (p<0,01), as well as some parameters of the control of the limit of stability (p<0,01). On the other hand, no relationship was found between the independent variables of age, sex, clinical diagnostic, personality disorder, and the results.

Conclusions:

In our study, the results show the efficacy of vestibular rehabilitation in patients with chronic vertigo, regardless of its association with personality disorders.

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