0000000000262890
AUTHOR
Peter Breuer
Anxiety disorders and other psychiatric subgroups in patients complaining of dizziness.
Two hundred and two consecutive patients with dizziness were evaluated using blind neuro-otological testing and examination, blind psychiatric examination, including structured interviews (according to DSM-IV), the Symptom Check-List (SCL 90 R), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). In 28% of the patients (N=50) dizziness was of organic origin (O group); in 55.3% (N=99) of psychogenic origin (P group) and in 16.8% comorbid psychiatric disorders were found (Mixed group). In 5.3% (N=10) neither organic nor psychiatric results could be found, which could explain the dizziness (Ideopathic group). Compared with the Organic group the patients with psychiatric disorders (P and Mixed group)…
Interaction of somatoform and vestibular disorders
The high coincidence of organic vestibular and somatoform vertigo syndromes has appeared to support pathogenic models showing a strong linkage between them. It was hypothesised that a persisting vestibular dysfunction causes the development of anxiety disorders.To determine the relation between vestibular deficits and somatoform vertigo disorders in an interdisciplinary prospective study.Participants were divided into eight diagnostic groups: healthy volunteers (n=26) and patients with benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo (BPPV, n=11), vestibular neuritis (n=11), Menière's disease (n=7), vestibular migraine (n=15), anxiety (n=23), depression (n=12), or somatoform disorders (n=22). Neuro-ot…
Application of GPS technology to measurements of displacements of high-rise structures due to weak winds
Abstract Global positioning systems (GPS) have been developed for military purposes like single-point positioning and navigation. The first non-military applications have been made for geodetic purposes with base-line measurements using differential methods. We introduce GPS technology as an alternative measurement method of displacements when high-rise structural systems are monitored. In this paper, two tests to evaluate the accuracy of the measurements using GPS are presented. Then the evaluation of ability of GPS to measure small movements of the Stuttgart TV-tower and the industrial chimney of Opole power station due to weak winds are also given.
Quality of life in patients with chronic urticaria is differentially impaired and determined by psychiatric comorbidity
Summary Background Chronic urticaria (CU), one of the most common skin disorders, is characterized by spontaneous recurrent bouts of weals and pruritus and associated with severely impaired quality of life (QoL). Objectives To determine what aspects of life quality are affected and to characterize the factors that impact on QoL in CU patients. Subjects and methods This interdisciplinary interview/questionnaire-based study included 100 patients admitted to a University Hospital Dermatology Department for the identification of underlying causes of CU; 96 healthy subjects matched for age and sex were used as controls. QoL was assessed using Skindex-29, a validated instrument to measure the …