Background/Objectives: It is known that balance disorders involve occupational hazards. However, the inverse relationship (between certain occupations and an increased incidence of vertigo or dizziness) has been scarcely studied. The objective of this work was to analyze the occupation of a group of patients with vertigo, compared to economically active general population, and to evaluate the prevalence of occupational noise and/or vibration-exposure in both groups. Methods: A cross-sectional, observational, case-control study was carried out including 461 patients (220: Meniere’s disease; 73: vestibular migraine; 28: vestibular neuritis; 140: BPPV) (310 women and 151 men). These patients were compared to a control group from the general population, obtained from 6th EWCS-Spain (2015). Possible differences regarding sex, age, occupation, exposure to noise, and exposure to mechanical vibrations were analyzed. Results: Differences in distribution of occupations between patients with vertigo and general population were observed (Chi-square, p=6.142 e-30). Patients with vertigo were significantly more exposed to noise (p=8.19 e-12; OR=2,127, CI95% (1.720;2.630)) and vibrations (p=1.11 e-12; OR=2.288, CI95% (1.835;2.853)) than the control group. These differences were observed both between men and women. Conclusions: A relationship between occupational exposure to noise and/or vibrations and the presence of vertigo was observed. Protective and preventive measures could help prevent the occurrence of some diseases involving vertigo.

Patients with bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP) suffer from postural imbalance during daily life conditions which in turn leads to a high frequency of falls. Unfortunately, vestibular rehabilitation has only modest and somewhat inconsistent effects in this patient group. Approximately fifty percent of BVP-patients show an improved postural control after conventional vestibular rehabilitation training. New and more promising approaches are required. The individualized vibrotactile neurofeedback training (IVNT) in stance and gait conditions has already been described as highly effective in patients with various vestibular disorders. The purpose of the present multicenter study was to determine the efficacy of the IVNT in improving balance, reducing self-perceived disability, and improving gait in patients with confirmed BVP. In total, 22 patients performed the IVNT with the Vertiguard^®-system for 10 daily sessions. The dizziness handicap inventory (DHI), the stance stability score of the sensory organization test (SOT) and the score for everyday life mobility in stance and gait tasks (SBDT) were obtained immediately before and after the rehabilitation training period as well as 3 and 12 months later. All measures improved significantly after the IVNT. Between 77.3 % and 94.4 % of patients showed an individual benefit (depending on outcome measure). The effect was not significantly reduced within the follow-up period of 12 months. The results demonstrate a high efficacy of the IVNT for vestibular rehabilitation in BVP patients.