Abstract

Objective: In vestibular neuritis (VN), the lesion preferentially affects the superior vestibular nerve because of the anatomic arrangement. It is well known that VN patients have a higher score of metabolic syndrome or a higher incidence of vertebral artery hypoplasia than controls. However, it is unclear whether the frequency of cardiovascular risk factors can affect the selective involvement of the branch of the vestibular nerve. Thus, we investigated the influence of cardiovascular risk factors on the development of total- or divisional VN.
Methods
61 patients with VN were enrolled. Video head impulse tests and caloric tests were performed to determine which vestibular divisions were affected. The patients were divided into divisional-VN (superior or inferior) and total-VN groups. Statistical analysis of the frequency of cardiovascular risk factors was performed only in superior and total VN groups because the number of inferior VN patients was too small to be statistically analyzed.
Results
Nineteen (31.1%) patients were classified as the total-VN group. In the divisional-VN group (42 patients, 65.6%), 40 were superior VN. The frequency of cardiovascular risk factors are not significantly different in superior VN and total-VN groups [All patients 50/61(82.0%), superior-VN 36/40(90.0%), total-VN 13/19(68.4%)]. The frequency of having more than one cardiovascular risk factor was slightly higher in the superior VN group, (13(68.4%) vs. 36(90.0%), p=0.062) but did not show any significant difference.
Conclusions
The number of cardiovascular risk factors did not differ in superior VN patients compared to total VN patients.

• Keywords: Vestibular neuritis; Cardiovascular risk factors; superior vestibular nerve;