SynthesisBMC family practice2018
Prevalence, aetiologies and prognosis of the symptom dizziness in primary care - a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC family practice, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 58 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
58 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Prevalence, aetiologies and prognosis of the symptom cough in primary care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC family practice · 2021Pooled it
- Coughing children in family practice and primary care: a systematic review of prevalence, aetiology and prognosis.BMC pediatrics · 2021Pooled it
- Barriers to and facilitators of the implementation of multi-disciplinary care pathways in primary care: a systematic review.BMC family practice · 2020Pooled it
- Effectiveness of training on vertigo/dizziness coding in primary care: a community-based cluster-randomized trial.BMC medical education · 2026Trial
- Can virtual reality replace conventional vestibular rehabilitation tools in multisensory balance exercises for vestibular disorders? A non-inferiority study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2025Trial
- Online vestibular rehabilitation for chronic vestibular syndrome: 36-month follow-up of a randomised controlled trial in general practice.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2023Trial
- Dizziness in older persons at high risk of future hospitalization: prevalence, differences between those with and without dizziness, and effect of a proactive primary care intervention.BMC geriatrics · 2022Trial
- Improving mobility and participation of older people with vertigo, dizziness and balance disorders in primary care using a care pathway: feasibility study and process evaluation.BMC family practice · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Internet based vestibular rehabilitation with and without physiotherapy support for adults aged 50 and older with a chronic vestibular syndrome in general practice: three armed randomised controlled trial.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2019Trial
- Efficacy of EGb 761Journal of otolaryngology - head & neck surgery = Le Journal d'oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-facialeTrial
- What patients do when they feel dizzy: behavioural signatures reveal diagnostic clues in common vestibular disorders.Journal of neurology · 2026Article
- A digital neurotology history: Characteristics and inter-rater reliability.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Article
- Specific and nonspecific diagnoses of dizziness and vertigo in primary care: A descriptive study.Atencion primaria · 2026Article
- Cross-cultural validation of the Dutch Vertigo Symptom Scale - Short Form: dimensionality, reliability and cultural differences in symptom reporting.Journal of patient-reported outcomes · 2026Article
- Health economic evaluation of an interdisciplinary care pathway for older patients with vertigo, dizziness and balance disorders in primary care (MobilE-PHY2) - a cluster-randomised trial.Cost effectiveness and resource allocation : C/E · 2026Article
- A rule-based mobile screening classifier for six ICVD-defined vestibular disorders: a pilot study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Early Postural Instability with History of COVID-19 Influence Related to Diabetes: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Philippine Clinical Practice Guidelines for Periodic Health Examination: Screening for Hearing Disorders.Acta medica Philippina · 2026Article
- Effects of heat exposure on self-reported heat strain symptoms among pregnant and postpartum women in South Africa.npj digital public health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDizziness is a common reason for consulting a general practitioner and there is a broad range of possible underlying aetiologies. There are few evidence-based data about prevalence, aetiology and prognosis in primary care. We aimed to conduct a systematic review of symptom-evaluating studies on prevalence, aetiology or prognosis of dizziness in primary care.
methodsWe systematically searched MEDLINE and EMBASE. Two independent researchers screened titles and abstracts according to predefined criteria. We included all studies evaluating the symptoms 'dizziness' or 'vertigo' as a reason for consultation in primary care. We extracted data about study population and methodology and prevalence, aetiology and prognosis. Two raters independently judged study quality and risk of bias. We investigated the variation across studies using forest plots, I
resultsWe identified 31 studies (22 on prevalence, 14 on aetiology and 8 on prognosis). Consultation prevalence differs between 1,0 and 15,5%. The most common aetiologies are vestibular/peripheral (5,4-42,1%), benign peripheral positional vertigo (4,3-39,5%), vestibular neuritis (0,6-24,0%), Menière's disease (1,4-2,7%), cardiovascular disease (3,8-56,8%), neurological disease (1,4-11,4%), psychogenic (1,8-21,6%), no clear diagnosis (0,0-80,2%). While studies based on subjective patient assessment reported improvement rates from 37 to 77%, these findings could not be confirmed when applying instruments that measure symptom severity or quality of life.
conclusionThere is a broad variety of possible underlying diseases for the symptom dizziness. There exist only few methodologically sound studies concerning aetiology and prognosis of dizziness.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.