Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in People With Upper Vestibular Neuritis

Vestibular neuritis is the second cause of vertigo, it constitutes 5 to 6% of the aetiologies of vertigo in an otoneurological consultation.

Infection or reactivation of a neurotropic virus of the herpes group (HSV-1) in the vestibular lymph node is thought to be the cause of the unilateral vestibular deficit.

Upper vestibular neuritis is more common than lower, or total involvement. Goebel (2) explains this by an anatomical predisposition of the vestibular nerve canal to inflammation, unlike the singular nerve canal which is shorter and wider giving way to a certain degree of edema without consequence on its contents.

However, the innervation territory of the superior vestibular nerve is superimposable on the territory supplied by the anterior vestibular artery. The anterior, lateral semicircular canals and the utricle are affected. Current complementary vestibular and imaging examinations cannot differentiate between inflammatory or vascular involvement in upper vestibular neuritis.

The increased presence of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with upper vestibular neuritis would be an argument in favor of ischemic involvement of the anterior vestibular artery.