A Study of Dizziness or Vertigo Cases Associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis) in a Vertigo Outpatient Clinic

Background/Objectives: Dizziness and vertigo are reported in about half of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Orthostatic dysregulation (OD) is recognized as one of the comorbidities that causes dizziness or vertigo with IBD. Our hospital is affiliated with the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, which specializes in diagnosing and treating IBD, so cases with dizziness or vertigo symptoms associated with IBD are sometimes referred to our department, a type of department which is rare in other facilities. The objective of this study is to evaluate IBD cases with dizziness or vertigo symptoms referred to a vertigo outpatient clinic in terms of vestibular function and OD. Methods: The subjects were 221 patients who were referred to the vertigo outpatient clinic of our department from March 2021 to September 2024. Results: Of the 221 patients, 9 cases had CD and 1 case had UC. OD complications were significantly more common in the IBD group than in the non-IBD group, whereas complications of psychogenic vertigo or migraine were not significantly different between groups, and there was no difference in vestibular dysfunction between groups. OD was a complication in all cases using ustekinumab. Conclusions: An orthostatic test will be valuable for diagnosing OD in IBD patients with dizziness or vertigo symptoms.