Caution is advised as patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), a disorder that causes intense dizziness, have increased by 25% over the past five years.
4th According to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) Open Health Care Big Data System, a total of 494,418 patients received care for BPPV last year. This is an increase of nearly 25% (98,908) from 395,510 in 2019.
BPPV occurs when tiny particles called "otoconia" in the inner ear's balance organ, the semicircular canals, come loose and float around. When these clumps of otoconia enter the semicircular canals, people feel severe dizziness and vomiting whenever they move their head or body in certain directions.
BPPV is relatively common, but the risk of onset increases in women in their 50s and older whose bone health has weakened due to postmenopausal hormonal changes and osteoporosis. According to HIRA statistics, women accounted for more than 70% of all BPPV patients last year at 350,000, and among female patients, those in their 50s and 60s made up nearly half.
Lying on one's side increases the likelihood that otoconia will enter the semicircular canals, so prolonged bed rest is also known to raise the risk of BPPV. Although otoconia that have entered the semicircular canals can naturally exit or dissolve, active treatment is recommended because the resulting dizziness and vomiting can seriously interfere with daily life.