Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a common form of vertigo and is characterized by episodic dizziness related to changes in head position relative to gravity. BPPV symptoms can be similar to those of central nervous system vascular diseases. The association between BPPV and ischemic stroke has not yet been investigated. The study cohort consisted of patients who were diagnosed with BPPV at least twice in the previous year as an outpatient or for whom BPPV was the primary diagnosis as an inpatient (n = 4104). An age- and gender-matched sample that excluded patients with a diagnosis of any form of vertigo was selected as the comparison cohort (n = 8397). All cases were followed up from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2008. The demographic characteristics, medical comorbidities, and use of medications in both groups were investigated using chi-square tests. A stratified analysis of stroke risk factors was performed to determine the hazard ratios of BPPV. During the 9-year follow-up period, 185 of the 4104 (4.5%) subjects with BPPV and 240 of the 8379 (2.9%) subjects without BPPV developed ischemic strokes. The crude hazard ratio of BPPV for developing ischemic strokes was 1.708. After adjusting for stroke risk factors, the risk of developing ischemic strokes in BPPV subjects was 1.415-fold higher than the risk among those without BPPV (confidence interval: 1.162–1.732, p = 0.001). After a subgroup analysis stratified according to stroke risk factors, BPPV remained independently associated with a higher risk of developing future ischemic stroke. We conclude that BPPV is independently associated with a risk of subsequent ischemic stroke. More aggressive control of modifiable risk factors for ischemic strokes should be conducted in patients with BPPV.

Wearable robotic devices have been strongly put into use in both the clinical and research fields of stroke rehabilitation over the past decades. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of soft robotic gloves (SRGs) towards improving the motor recovery and functional abilities in patients with post-stroke hemiparesis. Five major bibliographic databases, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database, were all reviewed for enrollment regarding comparative trials prior to 7 March 2023. We included adults with stroke and compared their rehabilitation using SRGs to conventional rehabilitation (CR) on hand function in terms of the Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity Motor Assessment (FMA-UE), Fugl-Meyer Distal Upper Extremity Motor Assessment (FMA-distal UE), box and blocks test score, grip strength test, and the Jebsen–Taylor hand function test (JTT). A total of 8 studies, comprising 309 participants, were included in the analysis. Compared to CR, rehabilitation involving SRGs achieved better FMA-UE (MD 6.52, 95% CI: 3.65~9.39), FMA-distal UE (MD 3.27, 95% CI: 1.50~5.04), and JJT (MD 13.34, CI: 5.16~21.53) results. Subgroup analysis showed that stroke latency of more than 6 months and training for more than 30 min offered a better effect as well. In conclusion, for patients with stroke, rehabilitation using SRGs is recommended to promote the functional abilities of the upper extremities.