Abstract
Background
Bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP) is a debilitating disorder characterized by the hypofunction of both vestibular end organs or nerves. The most frequent identifiable causes of BVP are ototoxic drug effects, infectious and autoimmune disorders. The majority of cases, however, remain idiopathic.
Methods
Medical records of patients diagnosed with idiopathic BVP were examined in five dizziness clinics.
Results
We identified 126 patients with “idiopathic” BVP. Out of these, 15 patients had a history of Amiodarone treatment before the diagnosis of BVP, resulting in a 12% prevalence.
Conclusion
The present report supports the hypothesis that Amiodarone can cause BVP. Vestibular examination in patients taking Amiodarone and suffering from balance-related symptoms are recommended, to recognize this adverse effect as early as possible and allow for an informed judgement on a potential dose reduction or withdrawal for recovery of the vestibular function.
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None of the authors have reported any financial relationships relevant to the study.
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All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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The study was approved by the University of Munich data protection official, an ethics committee application was not required.
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Patients gave written consent to the use of data from their medical records for scientific publications.
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Gürkov, R., Manzari, L., Blödow, A. et al. Amiodarone-associated bilateral vestibulopathy. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 275, 823–825 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-017-4858-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-017-4858-3