Dizziness is a symptom of a variety of diseases that can cause imbalance or even falls, among other things. Thus it may frequently be a serious health hazard, especially in the aging, causing injury and occasionally long-term disability, and additional financial burden to healthcare systems.
A new study presented at the 2007 AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO reveals that contrary to previous hypotheses, no single entity is the root cause of dizziness in the elderly. The study, which included more than 3,500 patients (over 70 years old), seeking treatment at a Montreal Dizziness Clinic, determined that the main causes of dizziness could be attributed to psychogenic and systemic disease, as well as to use of certain medication.
The results of the study indicate that although dizziness in the elderly may be aggravated by other ailments, such as poor vision, arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, or muscle weakness, etc., the causes of dizziness in the elderly appear to be the same as in younger patients. Physicians should consider the study's results when examining and diagnosing patients complaining of dizziness.
entnet/
According to the researchers, because NCBI's dbGaP Web site permits investigators to review patterns of statistical significance within the unfiltered genetic association tests across the entire human genome, researchers around the world will be able to rapidly access and potentially replicate or refute findings from the FHS 100K study or develop new hypotheses for further research.
The NCBI web site has the added advantage of linking into dozens of other databases, thereby providing access to other relevant human and animal data. The free exchange of data will accelerate the discovery of pathways to human disease, said Emelia J. Benjamin, MD, ScM, a professor of medicine at BUSM and one of the contributing authors.
The Framingham Heart Study 100K project has investigated hundreds of phenotypes and as such it is among the largest genome-wide association studies of its kind, representing the first set of genome-wide association findings from the FHS, notes Christopher J. O'Donnell, MD, MPH, FHS, associate director and senior advisor to the NHLBI director for genome research. These results set the stage for the launch of a much larger and more powerful NHLBI-funded genome-wide association study in the FHS known as SHARe (SNP Health Association Resource), which will be available in the fall of 2007.
Together, these projects will provide a number of opportunities for scientists to take advantage of the wealth of data collected by FHS over several decades in an ethically responsible way, added Daniel Levy, MD, FHS director.
The Framingham Heart Study dataset is another example of the groundbreaking collaboration of researchers from Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health and from the NHLBI, said Karen Antman, MD, dean of BUSM and provost of Boston University Medical Campus. Our researchers make extraordinary contributions that continuously improve the well-being of people all over the world.
bu/