The study aimed to identify the predictors of response to
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (
SSRIs) for 12 weeks in patients with persistent postural-perceptual
dizziness (PPPD). Short-term treatment responses were studied in 197 outpatients [127 (64.5%) women, mean age ± SD = 51.7 ± 15.9] diagnosed with PPPD. Clinical and self-rated assessments were analyzed at the baseline and at the end of
pharmacotherapy for 12 weeks. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the following variables as the potential predictors of treatment response as measured by scoring in clinical global impression-improvement scale (CGI-I) scores: age, sex, comorbidity, baseline CGI-S score, Beck Depression Inventory-II score, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory score,
Dizziness Handicap Inventory score at the baseline, and prescribed doses of
antidepressants or
benzodiazepines. The overall response rate to
pharmacotherapy was 65.0% (128/197). Female sex and greater disease severity at the baseline (higher CGI-S score) were associated with a better response to the
pharmacotherapy. Subgroup analyses by sex identified younger age and lower anxiety as the indicators for better outcomes in men, and absence of comorbidities in women. During the initial assessment, the severity of PPPD was associated with depressive symptoms and subjective functional handicap due to
dizziness. The response to
pharmacotherapy is favorable in PPPD. Sex, age and initial disease severity are the predictors of the response to
SSRIs in patients with PPPD.