Risk for Vascular Events After ED Discharge Diagnosis of Dizziness or Vertigo

Although vertigo and dizziness usually have relatively benign causes, these conditions can be manifestations of serious disease, such as stroke or myocardial infarction. In a retrospective cohort study, researchers evaluated rates of major vascular events in 31,159 adults who were discharged from emergency departments (EDs) in California with diagnoses of vertigo (22%) or dizziness (78%) during a 6-month period.

A major vascular event was defined as death from any cause or hospitalization with a major cerebrovascular diagnosis (intracerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage or ischemic stroke) or major cardiovascular diagnosis (unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction, or ventricular arrhythmia). The cumulative incidence of major vascular even…