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Original Articles
- Seasonal variation in vestibular neuritis in Korea: a nationwide population-based cohort study
- Chul-Young Yoon, Young Jun Seo, Ji-Yun Park
- Res Vestib Sci. 2025;24(1):37-45. Published online March 14, 2025
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.21790/rvs.2025.006
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Abstract
PDF - Objectives
This study was performed to investigate seasonal variation in the incidence of vestibular neuritis (VN) without recent steroid treatments using nationwide health insurance data. The aim of the study is to elucidate whether seasonal trends can inform optimized diagnostic and treatment strategies for VN.
Methods
A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) in South Korea from 2007 to 2022. Patients diagnosed with VN were identified using specific operational criteria. Seasonal trends were evaluated by analyzing monthly, quarterly, and seasonal variations in VN incidence, stratified by age and sex.
Results
Out of 237,673 VN patients identified, our analysis revealed significant seasonal variations in incidence, with a notable decline during winter months—especially in February—and an increase during the spring. These patterns were consistent across sex and age groups.
Conclusions
This nationwide study demonstrates that VN exhibits distinct seasonal variations that have significant implications for clinical practice. These results indicate a potential influence of seasonal factors on the occurrence of VN and contribute to more efficient allocation of healthcare resources. Future prospective studies are warranted to further elucidate the mechanisms behind these seasonal differences.
- Quantifying the Prevalence of Acute Vestibular Neuritis through Big Data Analysis
- Chul Young Yoon, Seulgi Hong, Ji-Yun Park, Young Joon Seo
- Res Vestib Sci. 2023;22(3):68-76. Published online September 15, 2023
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.21790/rvs.2023.22.3.68
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Abstract
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Supplementary Material - Objectives
Big data analytics in healthcare research have gained momentum, offering unprecedented opportunities to investigate complex medical conditions like acute vestibular neuritis (AVN). However, an inappropriate definition can introduce bias and inaccuracies into prevalence estimation, making the results unreliable and hindering cross-study comparisons. The Health Insurance data in South Korea will be used to create a robust operational definition for AVN.
Methods
The study utilized the National Patients Sample dataset from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) of the Republic of Korea. The operational definition of AVN was defined using the HIRA data, which includes specific codes for diagnosis, testing, and medications. The revised categorization scheme for AVN was presented as case 1 through case 5, with criteria for each category.
Results
The optimal conditions are deemed to be those that encompass the outcomes of both case 5 and case 1-1, encompassing all conditions. The study also provided prevalence estimates for subgroups based on demographic factors (age, sex), and found a consistent pattern throughout all years, sex, and age.
Conclusions
The study analyzed the prevalence of AVN in case 1 and case 5, which were similar to the reference prevalence of 3.5 per 100,000 people reported in other countries. The study’s results are encouraging for several reasons, including the validity of the operational definitions used, and the agreement between the study’s prevalence estimates and the reference prevalence. The operational definition in statistics, in the context of big data, serves as a precise and standardized criterion.
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