Osteoporosis is associated with increased risk for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: a nationwide population-based study

Summary: Recent evidence has indicated that osteoporosis is a risk factor for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). This large population-based study demonstrated that patients with osteoporosis had a 1.82-fold higher risk of developing BPPV than those without osteoporosis through the use of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Purpose: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most frequent causes of vertigo. Osteoporosis reflects a homeostatic imbalance in the rate of bone turnover, with the rate of bone resorption exceeding that of bone formation. Recent evidence has indicated that osteoporosis is a risk factor for BPPV. We aimed to validate the risk of BPPV in osteoporotic patients through a nationwide, population-based, cohort study. Methods: Patients treated for osteoporosis were identified from entries made in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) between 2000 and 2013. Each osteoporosis patient was age- and sex-matched with four randomly selected subjects without osteoporosis. We compared the incidence rates of BPPV in the two cohorts (with and without osteoporosis) and identified risk factors. Results: We identified 6649 osteoporosis patients and 26,596 match controls. According to the incidence of BPPV among the two groups, patients with osteoporosis were found to have a 1.82-fold higher risk of developing BPPV than those without osteoporosis. The incidence rate ratio (IRR) between osteoporotic patients and the control cohort was 2.0 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This large population-based study demonstrated that patients with osteoporosis were associated with an increased risk for BPPV. The results of this study provide some insight into the management of BPPV.