Objective: To investigate the clinical value of three vertigo scales in the diagnosis of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in the community.

Methods: Patients with dizziness and (or) vertigo as the main complaint, who were referred from the Xinhua Sub-district Community Health Service Center of Changning District to Renhe Hospital of Baoshan District, Shanghai, between January 2023 and June 2024, were selected. Patients were grouped based on whether they were diagnosed with BPPV. Before diagnosis, screening was conducted using the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Vertigo Symptom Scale-Chinese (VSS-C), and the results of the scale evaluations were recorded. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors related to BPPV, and the clinical values of DHI, BBS, VSS-C and the combined application of the three scales in supporting diagnosis of BPPV were analyzed.

Results: A total of 80 patients were included, of whom 36 were diagnosed with BPPV. The DHI and VSS-C scores in the BPPV group were significantly higher than those in the non-BPPV group (P＜0.05), while the BBS score was lower than that in the non-BPPV group (P＜0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that DHI score [odds ratio (OR)＝4.440, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.820-10.831, P＝0.001], VSS-C score (OR＝1.036, 95% CI: 1.009-1.063, P＝0.008) and BBS score (OR＝0.539, 95% CI: 0.298-0.973, P＝0.040) were independent influencing factors for BPPV. ROC curves for DHI score, BBS score, VSS-C score, and the combined application of the three scales showed that the combined application of the three scales had the optimal diagnostic efficacy for BPPV, with a sensitivity of 0.834 and a specificity of 0.779.

Conclusion: The combined application of DHI, BBS and VSS-C scales is helpful for the initial screening of patients with acute vertigo, improves the efficiency of BPPV identification, and enables patients to receive timely diagnosis and treatment.