• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.371-386
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• 2011

Background : Vertigo is a very common complaint in clinical practice. The number of patients who complain of vertigo has been increasing due to rapid growth of the elderly population. This study was designed to review the clinical features and success of oriental medical treatment of positional vertigo. Methods : This observation was made on 70 subjects diagnosed with positional vertigo. They were hospitalized in the Semyung University Oriental Medicine Hospital. Results : The results were as follows 1. Female patients (82.9%) were more than male patients. The most common age group was 8th decade and the patients rapidly increased after the 5th decade of age. 2. The most common past history of positional vertigo was hypertension, the second was cerebral infarction, and the third was hyperlipidemia. 3. In the oriental medicine diagnosis, phlegm-dampness syndrome (痰濕交阻 眩暈) was the most common disease (92.9%), and in western medicine, BPPV was the most (82.9%). 4. In herbal medication, Banhabaekchulchunma-tang gami (45.7%) was the most commonly used, the second being Taeksa-tang (30%). 5. The vertigo score of 94.3% patients improved and none got worse. 6. In general characteristics, men over 64 years improved best. Past history had no effect on the improvement of vertigo. 7. The sooner patients visited hospital after onset, the shorter hospitalization time was. Conclusions : Vertigo attacks patients well in advanced age, with various causative diseases. Oriental medical treatments have considerable effects on positional vertigo, especially treated with Banhabaekchulchunma-tang gami and Taeksa-tang.