AIM: To correlate the risk of falling in patients with vertigo due to unilateral vestibular hypofunction with their self-perception of disability caused by dizziness. METHOD: An experimental group of 25 vertiginous patients with unilateral vestibular hypofunction and a homogeneous control group of 32 healthy individuals underwent neurotological evaluations including the Brazilian version of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) and TetraxTM static posturography (Sunlight Medical Ltd.), composed of a platform with 4 individual plates to capture variations in weight distribution. The fall index was calculated using a patented algorithm that weighted the results of the TetraxTM parameters in 8 different sensory conditions. RESULTS: The experimental group showed significantly higher fall index values compared to the controls. The mean DHI score for the experimental group was 33.3 ± 24.4 (range, 4 to 80) as the total score; 9.12 ± 5.57 points for the physical aspect, 9.36 ± 10.04 points for the emotional aspect, and 14.8 ± 10.45 points for the functional aspect. All DHI scores showed significant and positive linear correlations with fall index. CONCLUSION: The risk of falling in vertiginous patients with unilateral vestibular hypofunction is directly correlated with the degree of self-perceived disability caused by dizziness.
