Vestibular Dysfunction in Euthyroid Children with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

Abstract

A relationship exists between autoimmune thyroid disorders and vestibular dysfunction. This study aimed to analyze cervicalevoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP) and video head impulse test (vHIT) results between children with Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) and healthy controls to determine vestibular end-organ problems. Thirty-six children with HT and 30 healthy subjects were recruited. The main inclusion criteria for the healthy group were the presence of normal thyroid function and no clinical history of vestibular problems. Each participant (both HT and healthy groups) was assessed using audiovestibular tests, cVEMP, and vHIT. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of cVEMP (p1 and n1) latencies for both ears. There was no significant difference in cVEMP amplitudes (p1-n1 peak-to-peak) between the groups. There were statistically significant differences in the VOR gain of the right and left ears between the groups (P < .001, P < .001). When we considered lower cutoff value as 0.80 for VOR gain, 29 of 36 patients with HT (80.6%) had lower VOR gain scores. Only 1 of 30 healthy participants (3.3%) had a lower VOR gain score. This difference was statistically significant (P < .001). Subclinical vestibulopathy may occur in children with HT. The vHIT seems to be a valuable tool for identifying and screening preclinical vestibular pathologies in this patient group.