Ten Year Trends of Dizziness in the Emergency Department

Abstract Background: Dizziness is common reason for visit to the emergency department (ED), which impacts patient well-being and places significant demands on healthcare resources. Despite its prevalence, the trends of patient presentation and healthcare utilization has not been assessed for decades. Objectives To comprehensively analyze 10-year trends of patient presentation and healthcare utilization of dizziness attributed visits to the ED. Methods The National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) was used to obtain data for patients that visited the emergency department for dizziness from 2010 to 2019. Nationally representative estimates were derived for patient demographics and diagnostics. Trend analyses were conducted to investigate potential patterns and implications. Results A total of 1.3 billion dizziness attributed ED visits were estimated from 2010 to 2019 with a significant increase per year and a 49.23% increase over the decade (p<.001). Diagnostic imaging has significantly increased for this population (p=.005). However, the amount of head CT scans ordered have remained stable (p=.201). The number of medications provided during these visits have significantly increased (p=.005), without any difference in the rate of being admitted to the hospital (p=.231). Conclusion The rate of ED visits attributed to dizziness has continued to rise in the recent decade. There are notable presentation rates for ED dizziness visits depending on patient age, sex, and race. Although overall utilization of imaging has increased, orders for head CT has remained stable.