A survey of dizziness management in General Practice

There is little information in the current literature about the management of dizziness in Primary Care (General Practice). An attempt was made to evaluate this by carrying out a postal survey of General Practitioners' (GPs) treatment methods in four Health Authorities in England and Wales. The survey revealed that eight out of every 1000 individuals are likely to consult their GP on account of dizziness in a 12-month period. The symptom is most common in the 60-80 years' age group, with 'labyrinthitis' being the commonest diagnosis. In the majority of cases (74.9 per cent) there was an improvement in the symptoms and only 13 per cent were referred to a specialist clinic. The survey also highlighted the need for additional resources to improve the management of these patients.