The evaluation of vestibular dysfunction in the patients with mumps-associated hearing loss

Abstract

In this study, we evaluated the vestibular symptoms and degree of vestibular dysfunction in patients with mumps-associated sensorineural hearing loss (mumps deafness). Fifteen patients, diagnosed with mumps deafness, underwent vestibular testing (caloric testing, cervical VEMP 〔cVEMP〕 testing and ocular VEMP 〔oVEMP〕 testing). Six of the fifteen patients (40%) complained of vestibular symptoms after mumps infection and eight patients (53%) had vestibular lesions based on the results of caloric testing or cVEMP testing, or both, in the same ear as the hearing loss. A comparison of patients complaining of vestibular symptoms with those without vestibular symptoms revealed that vestibular dysfunction was more frequent in the patients with vestibular symptoms (83%) than in those without symptoms (33%). Due to the high frequency of vestibular lesions in patients with mumps deafness, vaccination against mumps should be recommended to prevent mumps-associated vestibular dysfunction as well as hearing loss.