Abstract

Vitamin D insufficiency has been linked to the probable cause of developing positional vertigo or dizziness. Although many studies have been conducted on benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), regarded as the most typical form of positional vertigo, there is no accord on the role played by vitamin D deficiency. The study aimed to review articles to provide a consensus on the correlation between vitamin D insufficiency and positional vertigo/dizziness. A comprehensive literature review was undertaken from diverse databases, where articles were selected for review based on the keyword search. A combination of a systematic review and experimental studies were considered, precisely those that touched on types of positional vertigo and vitamin D insufficiency. Out of over 70 studies selected, only 15 were found to be relevant to the study as they focused on the role played by vitamin D among BPPV patients. Furthermore, seven articles were selected for review of the experiment, while the other eight articles were used to support the findings and reach a consensus. From the studies, substantial variances in vitamin D levels were found between BPPV patients and the control groups. In addition, a substantial mean-variance was established between BPPV patients who were on vitamin D supplementation and those that were not on supplementation in follow up treatments. The review found that vitamin D levels helped reduce the recurrence of BPPV / dizziness attacks. However, there was no adequate evidence that vitamin D helped treat BPPV.

Key words: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, BPPV, vertigo, vitamin D deficiency