Are dizziness/lightheadedness helpful symptoms for telephone triage of females and males calling the out-of-hours service for acute chest discomfort? A cross-sectional study
Objectives Symptoms of dizziness/lightheadedness are more often reported by females than males with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Therefore, we investigated if these symptoms are helpful for triage and diagnosis of ACS in females and males with acute chest discomfort.Design Cross-sectional study...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMJ Publishing Group
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/2/e092368.full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832087779682549760 |
|---|---|
| author | Frans H Rutten Hester M den Ruijter Sander van Doorn Dorien L Zwart Loes T C M Wouters Anna S M Dobbe Laurens van der Hem D Carmen Erkelens |
| author_facet | Frans H Rutten Hester M den Ruijter Sander van Doorn Dorien L Zwart Loes T C M Wouters Anna S M Dobbe Laurens van der Hem D Carmen Erkelens |
| author_sort | Frans H Rutten |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives Symptoms of dizziness/lightheadedness are more often reported by females than males with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Therefore, we investigated if these symptoms are helpful for triage and diagnosis of ACS in females and males with acute chest discomfort.Design Cross-sectional study.Setting Nine out-of-hours service in primary care (OHS-PC) in the Netherlands participated, covering both rural and urban areas, serving a total population of 1.5 million people.Participants 2195 patients were selected calling the OHS-PC with acute chest discomfort, 55.4% were females. Calls were selected based on International Classification of Primary Care codes and keywords, that is, chest pain, heart complaints, heart, myocardial infarction, heart attack, heart infarction or common abbreviations of these keywords. Recordings were excluded if (1) they were of poor quality, (2) the conversation was not a triage conversation, (3) patients were <18 years, (4) patients did not live in the vicinity of the OHS-PC, and (4) general practitioners did not want to provide follow-up information including the final diagnosis.Primary and secondary outcome measures The prevalence of dizziness/lightheadedness among patients calling the OHS-PC with acute chest discomfort and the relation between dizziness/lightheadedness and (1) urgency allocation and (2) a final diagnosis of ACS.Results Among 2195 patients who called the OHS-PC with acute chest discomfort, 251 (11.4%) had an ACS (8.3% females, 15.3% males). Females more often reported concurrent dizziness/lightheadedness than males (14.7% vs 10.9%, p=0.008). However, this was not observed in those with confirmed ACS (9.9% of the females vs 9.3% of the males, p=0.881). Reporting of dizziness/lightheadedness was not positively related to an ACS diagnosis in females (OR 0.61 (95% CI 0.31 to 1.21)) or in males (OR 0.82 (95% CI 0.45 to 1.47)). In contrast, both females and males with concurrent dizziness/lightheadedness more often received a high urgency allocation than those without these symptoms.Conclusions Dizziness/lightheadedness are common symptoms but are not positively related to an ACS diagnosis in both females and males with acute chest discomfort. It seems not worthwhile to give females and males with acute chest discomfort and concurrent dizziness/lightheadedness a higher urgency allocation than those without these symptoms.Trial registration number NTR7331. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-93d2a6615c204384b3e24468cb826214 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-93d2a6615c204384b3e24468cb8262142025-02-06T04:00:08ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-02-0115210.1136/bmjopen-2024-092368Are dizziness/lightheadedness helpful symptoms for telephone triage of females and males calling the out-of-hours service for acute chest discomfort? A cross-sectional studyFrans H Rutten0Hester M den Ruijter1Sander van Doorn2Dorien L Zwart3Loes T C M Wouters4Anna S M Dobbe5Laurens van der Hem6D Carmen Erkelens7Department of General Practice & Nursing Sciences, Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The NetherlandsLaboratory of Experimental Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of General Practice & Nursing Sciences, Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of General Practice & Nursing Sciences, Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of General Practice & Nursing Sciences, Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of General Practice & Nursing Sciences, Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of General Practice & Nursing Sciences, Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of General Practice & Nursing Sciences, Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The NetherlandsObjectives Symptoms of dizziness/lightheadedness are more often reported by females than males with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Therefore, we investigated if these symptoms are helpful for triage and diagnosis of ACS in females and males with acute chest discomfort.Design Cross-sectional study.Setting Nine out-of-hours service in primary care (OHS-PC) in the Netherlands participated, covering both rural and urban areas, serving a total population of 1.5 million people.Participants 2195 patients were selected calling the OHS-PC with acute chest discomfort, 55.4% were females. Calls were selected based on International Classification of Primary Care codes and keywords, that is, chest pain, heart complaints, heart, myocardial infarction, heart attack, heart infarction or common abbreviations of these keywords. Recordings were excluded if (1) they were of poor quality, (2) the conversation was not a triage conversation, (3) patients were <18 years, (4) patients did not live in the vicinity of the OHS-PC, and (4) general practitioners did not want to provide follow-up information including the final diagnosis.Primary and secondary outcome measures The prevalence of dizziness/lightheadedness among patients calling the OHS-PC with acute chest discomfort and the relation between dizziness/lightheadedness and (1) urgency allocation and (2) a final diagnosis of ACS.Results Among 2195 patients who called the OHS-PC with acute chest discomfort, 251 (11.4%) had an ACS (8.3% females, 15.3% males). Females more often reported concurrent dizziness/lightheadedness than males (14.7% vs 10.9%, p=0.008). However, this was not observed in those with confirmed ACS (9.9% of the females vs 9.3% of the males, p=0.881). Reporting of dizziness/lightheadedness was not positively related to an ACS diagnosis in females (OR 0.61 (95% CI 0.31 to 1.21)) or in males (OR 0.82 (95% CI 0.45 to 1.47)). In contrast, both females and males with concurrent dizziness/lightheadedness more often received a high urgency allocation than those without these symptoms.Conclusions Dizziness/lightheadedness are common symptoms but are not positively related to an ACS diagnosis in both females and males with acute chest discomfort. It seems not worthwhile to give females and males with acute chest discomfort and concurrent dizziness/lightheadedness a higher urgency allocation than those without these symptoms.Trial registration number NTR7331.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/2/e092368.full |
| spellingShingle | Frans H Rutten Hester M den Ruijter Sander van Doorn Dorien L Zwart Loes T C M Wouters Anna S M Dobbe Laurens van der Hem D Carmen Erkelens Are dizziness/lightheadedness helpful symptoms for telephone triage of females and males calling the out-of-hours service for acute chest discomfort? A cross-sectional study BMJ Open |
| title | Are dizziness/lightheadedness helpful symptoms for telephone triage of females and males calling the out-of-hours service for acute chest discomfort? A cross-sectional study |
| title_full | Are dizziness/lightheadedness helpful symptoms for telephone triage of females and males calling the out-of-hours service for acute chest discomfort? A cross-sectional study |
| title_fullStr | Are dizziness/lightheadedness helpful symptoms for telephone triage of females and males calling the out-of-hours service for acute chest discomfort? A cross-sectional study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Are dizziness/lightheadedness helpful symptoms for telephone triage of females and males calling the out-of-hours service for acute chest discomfort? A cross-sectional study |
| title_short | Are dizziness/lightheadedness helpful symptoms for telephone triage of females and males calling the out-of-hours service for acute chest discomfort? A cross-sectional study |
| title_sort | are dizziness lightheadedness helpful symptoms for telephone triage of females and males calling the out of hours service for acute chest discomfort a cross sectional study |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/2/e092368.full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT franshrutten aredizzinesslightheadednesshelpfulsymptomsfortelephonetriageoffemalesandmalescallingtheoutofhoursserviceforacutechestdiscomfortacrosssectionalstudy AT hestermdenruijter aredizzinesslightheadednesshelpfulsymptomsfortelephonetriageoffemalesandmalescallingtheoutofhoursserviceforacutechestdiscomfortacrosssectionalstudy AT sandervandoorn aredizzinesslightheadednesshelpfulsymptomsfortelephonetriageoffemalesandmalescallingtheoutofhoursserviceforacutechestdiscomfortacrosssectionalstudy AT dorienlzwart aredizzinesslightheadednesshelpfulsymptomsfortelephonetriageoffemalesandmalescallingtheoutofhoursserviceforacutechestdiscomfortacrosssectionalstudy AT loestcmwouters aredizzinesslightheadednesshelpfulsymptomsfortelephonetriageoffemalesandmalescallingtheoutofhoursserviceforacutechestdiscomfortacrosssectionalstudy AT annasmdobbe aredizzinesslightheadednesshelpfulsymptomsfortelephonetriageoffemalesandmalescallingtheoutofhoursserviceforacutechestdiscomfortacrosssectionalstudy AT laurensvanderhem aredizzinesslightheadednesshelpfulsymptomsfortelephonetriageoffemalesandmalescallingtheoutofhoursserviceforacutechestdiscomfortacrosssectionalstudy AT dcarmenerkelens aredizzinesslightheadednesshelpfulsymptomsfortelephonetriageoffemalesandmalescallingtheoutofhoursserviceforacutechestdiscomfortacrosssectionalstudy |