A Useful Tool for Evaluating PPPD

The Niigata PPPD Questionnaire (NPQ) is a useful tool for screening and assessing the severity of Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD), the most common form of chronic dizziness encountered in practice. The NPQ is primarily a screening tool that allows PPPD to be suspected at the initial visit. A total score of ≥27 and/or a visual stimulation score of ≥9 are threshold values to identify 70%–80% of patients with PPPD. In patients diagnosed as having PPPD, use of the NPQ before the start of treatment and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the start of treatment may be recommended to assess the disease severity and treatment outcomes. Reduction in the total score by more than 13 points, in the score for upright posture/walking by more than 7 points, in the movement by more than 5 points, and in the visual stimulation factor by more than 5 points may be considered as reflecting significant improvement. Based on analysis of the responses to the NPQ, PPPD has been subdivided into three subtypes: the visual-dominant subtype, the active motion-dominant subtype, and the mixed subtype.