Evidence Hub

Diet-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Dizziness and Balance Disorders: Associations with Psychological Distress, Autonomic Dysfunction, and Migraine

Asakura S, Kamogashira T, Funayama H, Yabe H, Kataoka T, Shoji S, Koizumi M, Nakanishi W et al.

2026

122 participants

Abstract

Background: : /Objectives: This study aimed to examine the associations between diet-related quality of life (DRQOL) and psychological distress, autonomic dysfunction, and migraine in patients with dizziness and balance disorders.

Methods:: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 122 patients (56 men, 66 women; mean age 40.4 ± 12.8 years, minimum 14, maximum 65) from the vertigo outpatient clinic at JR Tokyo General Hospital completed self-reported questionnaires. These included the DRQOL scale, Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), Orthostatic Dysregulation (OD) checklist, and migraine assessments (POUNDing [Pulsating, duration of 4–72 h, Unilateral, Nausea, Disabling], MIDAS, migraine screener). Correlational analyses, group comparisons, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted.

Results:: DRQOL scores showed positive correlations with psychological distress (SDS: ρ = 0.58; HADS-A: ρ = 0.50; HADS-D: ρ = 0.52; all p < 0.001) and OD severity (ρ = 0.48, p < 0.001), but not with age, DHI, or individual migraine indices. Migraine screener-positive patients had significantly higher DRQOL scores (p < 0.01). DRQOL alone modestly discriminated positive migraine screener (AUC = 0.65), improving to AUC = 0.77 in a multivariable model including age and sex.

Conclusions:: DRQOL can capture psychological and autonomic symptom burden rather than vestibular or headache severity,…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause. Reported size: 122 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free