Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a potential contributor to vestibular dysfunction, though specific correlating parameters remain unclear. This study aimed to determine whether hypoxemia severity indices correlate quantitatively with caloric slow-phase eye velocity (SPV), a marker of vestibular function.
Audiologists and vestibular specialists should consider asking patients with unexplained vestibular dysfunction about sleep apnea history, as nocturnal oxygen deprivation may be a contributing factor worth investigating with a sleep specialist.
Identifying OSA-related hypoxemia as a vestibular risk factor opens a potential interdisciplinary referral pathway between audiology/ENT and sleep medicine.
- 01Nocturnal hypoxemia burden (time with low blood oxygen at night) in OSA patients correlates with vestibular dysfunction.
- 02Published in Clinical Otolaryngology; study design appears observational/correlational.
- 03OSA-specific parameters may be independent contributors to vestibular impairment, not just shared comorbidities.
- 04Findings support screening for vestibular issues in OSA patients and vice versa.
- 05Causal direction is not established; correlation does not confirm that OSA causes vestibular damage.
Nocturnal hypoxemia burden in OSA patients correlates with vestibular dysfunction.
studypartially supportedOSA-specific parameters are contributors to vestibular dysfunction.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42454755
- DOI
- 10.1111/coa.70146.
- Journal
- Clinical Otolaryngology
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Patients with obstructive sleep apnea
- Intervention
- Nocturnal hypoxemia burden measurement in OSA
Primary outcomes
Correlation between nocturnal hypoxemia burden and vestibular dysfunction; Vestibular function test results across OSA severity groups