"Introduction
The common otorhinolaryngological disorders reported after COVID-19 vaccinations have been tinnitus and facial nerve palsy. Facial nerve palsy is thought to be caused by the reactivation of the herpes simplex virus (HSV) or varicella-zoster virus (VZV), and the reactivation of VZV after COVID-19 vaccination has been reported, along with many reports of diseases associated with VZV reactivation after COVID-19 vaccination in the fields of dermatology and ophthalmology. VN [vestibular neuritis] is considered to be associated with HSV reactivation, and is presumed to be one of the side effects of the vaccine, because the vestibular nerve passes through the internal auditory canal, as does the facial nerve; however, the reported cases have been scarce. The purpose of this study is to assess the possibility of VN after COVID-19 vaccination via a retrospective analysis of cases in a vertigo outpatient clinic...
Results
A total of 378 patients ... were examined in the vertigo outpatient clinic between 2018-3Q and 2022-1Q, and 23 patients ... were diagnosed as having VN...
Discussion
... All patients whose VN onset was in 2021-3Q or 2021-4Q had received a COVID-19 vaccination a few months previously, suggesting a vaccination-related onset. The peripheral vestibular function in these patients was severely impaired when evaluated by caloric testing.
Conclusions
Cases of VN significantly increased in 2021-3Q relative to other quarters, indicating a seasonal bias relative to the timing of the COVID-19 vaccination. In many cases of VN, the onset of symptoms occurred several months after the COVID-19 vaccination, and severe semicircular canal paralysis was observed, suggesting a side effect of the vaccine...
VN should be recognized as one of the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccination because it is a long-lasting side effect from which patients do not fully recover."
© Copyright 2022 Kamogashira et al.
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