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Distinguishing between serious and benign causes of dizziness is notoriously challenging. The 7-item Sudbury Vertigo Risk Score (see ) was derived to detect serious causes in patients presenting with acute dizziness (NEJM JW Gen Med Mar 15 2025 and Ann Emerg Med 2025; 85:122); now, researchers report results in a larger population.
Among 4500 adults (mean age, 78) who presented to three Canadian emergency departments with acute dizziness, vertigo, or imbalance, serious diagnoses (i.e., stroke, transient ischemic attack, vertebral artery dissection, or brain tumor) occurred in ≈2% of patients. No patient with a score less than 5 had a serious outcome; about two thirds of patients fell into this category. Serious causes were found in 1% o…