Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD)

The term persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) is used to describe a commonly encountered type of dizziness that is not easily categorized into one of several other types, and for which the physical examination is typically normal. Patients with PPPD frequently initially suffer a sudden injury of some sort to their vestibular system, the neurologic network that preserves sense of balance. Even after this initial injury has healed, people with PPPD usually describe a vague sense of unsteadiness worsened by stress, emotional distress, or triggers in their environment. There is a clear indication that anxiety and other mental illnesses play a role in the dizziness symptoms that occur with PPPD. However, the condition is categorized as chronic functional vestibular disorder where a shift has taken place in the way the central nervous system integrates sensory information.

Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) now unifies key features of a variety of chronic subjective dizziness and has been codified into the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11).

PPPD is estimated to be one of the more common causes of chronic or persistent dizziness at an incidence of 15%–20%.