In this population-based cohort study of individuals aged 45 to 70 years, nearly a quarter of participants experienced imbalance or dizziness, most commonly reported as light-headedness. The majority reported no or an occasional effect of these symptoms on their daily life and activities. Several demographics, general health, and mental health-related variables were found to be associated with imbalance, dizziness or the described nature of these experience.
The estimated prevalence of dizziness or imbalance of 23.9% found in our study of middle-aged people, is somewhat different from the limited data reported in other community-based studies covering broader age ranges [1, 18, 19]. This discrepancy may be explained not only by differences in study settings or populations, but also by variations in the definitions or…