Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo and Vitamin D Deficiency: A Singaporean Perspective

Introduction: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the primary vestibular disorder causing peripheral vertigo. Given the role of vitamin D in maintaining otoconia homeostasis, its deficiency may elevate the risk of BPPV. Our study seeks to evaluate the correlation between vitamin D deficiency and clinical outcomes of patients with BPPV in the local Asian population. Methodology: We performed a retrospective analysis of 149 consecutive adult patients referred to a tertiary center's Otolaryngology dizziness clinic between 2018 and 2021. All of these patients had both BPPV and vitamin D deficiency. Results: The mean serum vitamin D level was 19.4 ± 5.5 ng/mol. Approximately 51.7% (77/149) of patients experienced recurrent episodes of BPPV. Univariate Chi-square analyses demonstrated vitamin D levels (P < 0.001) and history of migraine (P = 0.04) were related to BPPV recurrence. On multivariate analyses, patients with higher serum vitamin D levels were 16.7% less likely to develop recurrent BPPV (odds ratio [OR] 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76-0.90, P < 0.001). However, migraine history was not significantly related to BPPV recurrence (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.14-1.00, P = 0.050). There was no statistically significant difference in the duration of BPPV episodes based on vitamin D levels (P = 0.327). Conclusions: Patients with vitamin D deficiency are at higher risk of recurrent BPPV. Future research directions that would be beneficial include conducting a randomized controlled trial to evaluate both the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation and its optimal dosage.