Connecting the Dots: The Sudden Rise of Vertigo Cases

“Investigating the underlying causes of the sudden rise in vertigo cases is vital for reducing the impact of this condition on individuals and society.”

I have observed time and time again the vast increase of vertigo in the general population, so it is important to analyze what are the possible reasons causing this problem. Vertigo means recurrent episodes of severe dizziness or spinning sensations. During these episodes, individuals may feel as if their surroundings are moving, and they may have difficulty maintaining their balance. Of course, exploring the causes behind the sudden increase in vertigo cases holds significance for several reasons.

SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Vaccination

Everyone knows what the world has gone through in the last three years with SARS-CoV-2. According to the information on Our World in Data it is estimated that “70.5% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 13.5 billion doses have been administered globally, and 48,165 are now administered each day. 32.6% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.”[1]

The Canadian government, through Public Health Canada and Statistics Canada, is conducting a collaborative study on the impact of post-COVID-19 condition, commonly known as “Long COVID.” The study included a survey sent to 100,000 Canadians. By October 2022 “14.8% of adults with a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection, experienced long-term symptoms.  Almost half (47.3%) experienced symptoms for a year or longer, and 21.3% said that their symptoms often or always limited their daily activities.”[2]

In an article written by James Kingsland in Medical News Today the author claims that “[a]lthough the evidence remains tentative, the researchers have estimated the prevalence of audiovestibular problems among people who have recovered from a SARS-CoV-2 infection.”[3] The analysis of the specialists of Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness (ManCAD) suggests that “around 14.8% of patients experience tinnitus, or “ringing in the ears,” 7.6% have hearing loss, and 7.2% have rotatory vertigo, which is a sensation of spinning.”[4]

Of course, the question goes deeper: what percentage of the increased vertigo cases of those who had SARS-CoV-2 were vaccine related and a result of the mRNA boosters, and how many were the result of the SARS-CoV-2 side effects? According to an article in NIH written by Paola Di Mauro on cases published by Parrino et al., titled Acute Vertigo After COVID-19 Vaccination: Case Series and Literature Review “Parrino and colleagues have recently described three cases of sudden unilateral tinnitus no more than 1-week later Pfizer vaccine injection in patients without previous diagnosis of COVID-19. (…) A recent systematic review analyzed 28 case reports/series and 28 cross-sectional studies that fit the criteria with an overall reported prevalence of 7.6% for hearing loss, 14.8% for tinnitus, and 7.2% for rotatory vertigo.”[5]
According to another research, an Italian cross-sectional study on 314,671 subjects vaccinated, dizziness is recorded as one of the most frequent COVID-19 vaccination adverse effects (n: 296, 21%).[6] “Interestingly, 9 (27.2%) patients complained of dizziness or vertigo after the first dose, while 24 (72.8%) cases had problems only after the second dose. We have to consider the frame of Immunoglobulin G (IgG) production that is at least 10–14 days after priming.”[7]
Accumulating evidence from Vaccine Surveillance Reports indicates that hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo may constitute components of the clinical range of side effects associated with COVID-19 vaccination. It is worth noting that existing studies in the literature possess limited sample sizes and do not distinguish between central and peripheral vertigo.

Thyroid Disease and Meniere’s Syndrome

Those who suffer from hypothyroidism may see an effect on their hearing health as well. It is estimated that nearly 20 million Americans suffer from some form of thyroid disease. Interestingly, almost 60% of these people are unaware of their condition because the symptoms are often confused with other health problems, such as hypothyroidism and hearing loss. In fact, nearly half of the people with low thyroid function have some degree of hearing loss. Hypothyroidism and hearing loss are connected because without enough thyroid hormone to regulate metabolism, many of the body’s functions slow down. This impacts nearly every part of the body, including the heart, brain, and your ears. It is also common to experience tinnitus— an ear disorder that occurs as a whistling or buzzing sound, even without external noise—if you suffer from hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, autoimmune thyroid, and Hashimoto’s thyroid.[8]

Thyroid disorders can seriously affect some body functions such as energy level, heart rate, and central nervous system. In addition, the thyroid can also be affected by morphological changes. The presence of hypothyroidism can damage the central nervous system compromising the auditory nervous system, which leads to hearing loss in both ears. Inflammatory or metabolic changes in patients with thyroid diseases may cause inflammation of the inner ear too. Therefore, early diagnosis is crucial.

There is also a connection between hypothyroidism, thyroid hormones levels and Meniere’s syndrome, which is a disorder of the inner ear that affects balance and hearing. It is characterized by a combination of symptoms, including vertigo, tinnitus or hearing loss, usually affecting one ear initially. Over time, this hearing loss can become more permanent. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of publications on Meniere’s disease yet its exact cause is still not fully understood.

Adrenal Fatigue

Another connection of vertigo—besides the ones mentioned before—could be with the condition adrenal fatigue. Severe stress can have a damaging impact on our physical well-being. Stress triggers the adrenal glands to release hormones such as cortisol, which aid in managing stress. Yet, persistent stress can lead to exhaustion of the adrenal glands, impairing their ability to generate sufficient hormone levels. This phenomenon is referred to as adrenal fatigue. Individuals experiencing adrenal fatigue deal with a wide variety of symptoms, including light-headedness and dizziness. Stress might be the common factor because it is a known trigger for vertigo and also the cause of adrenal fatigue.

Investigating the underlying causes of the sudden rise in vertigo cases is vital for improving public health, guiding medical practice, improving people’s well-being, but also for research, optimizing resource allocation, raising public awareness, and ultimately reducing the impact of this condition on individuals and society. There are natural remedies that are helpful for tinnitus like GABA, Zinc Picolinate, Adrenal Gland and Neurotransmitter Support for increased neuronal activity and mental clarity. We also recommend Thyrodine for those without autoimmunity and Thyrodine Thyromoto if they are autoimmune deficient and have tinnitus or vertigo.

 Additional Reading:

References:

[1] n.a. 2023.

[2] Witty, Laya. 2022.

[3] Kingsland, James. 2021.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Di Mauro, Paola et al. 2021.

[6] Gianfredi, Vincenza et al. 2021.

[7] Di Mauro, Paola et al. 2021.

[8] Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is a chronic inflammation of the thyroid gland that is caused by the immune system. Recent studies have demonstrated that there is a link between vestibular system symptoms, such as the occurrence of dizziness, and the Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.