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Table 5 GPs' preliminary diagnoses and referrals including specialists' (work-up) diagnoses.

From: Newly diagnosed incident dizziness of older patients: a follow-up study in primary care

Provisional diagnosis by GP

No. of patients (%)

     
  

Patients referred*

    
   

Did not visit specialist

Confirmation of GPs' diagnoses

No attributable causes found

GPs' diagnoses if different from specialists' diagnoses

multicausal†

20 (29.0)

10

0

1 BPPV

1 central

5

1 BPPV

1 orthostatic dysregulation

1 exclusion of presumed peripheral vestibular vertigo

cardiogenic

9 (13.0)

2

0

0

1

1 cervicogenic

cervicogenic

9 (13.0)

4

1

3

0

0

symptomatic‡

4 (5.8)

2

1

0

0

1 peripheral vestibular

peripheral vestibular

6 (8.7)

4

0

3

1

(in two cases specialists mentioned a central cause as additional differential diagnosis)

BPPV

6 (8.7)

2

2

0

0

0

vestibular neuritis

4 (5.8)

3

0

0

2

1 BPPV

psychogenic

2 (2.9)

0

-

-

-

-

Ménière's disease

1 (1.4)

1

0

1

0

0

central

1 (1.4)

1

0

0

1

0

none

7 (10.1)

4

3

0

1

0

Total n (%)

69 (100.0)

33/69 (47.8)

7/33 (21.2)

9/33 (27.3)

11/33 (33.3)

6/33 (18.2)

  1. * Patients were referred to the following specialists (more than one referral per patient possible): otorhinolaryngologist (n = 20), neurologist (n = 10), orthopaedic surgeon (n = 7), cardiologist (n = 7), hospital (n = 3)
  2. † at least two possible differential diagnoses
  3. ‡ e.g. during infection