Recurrence of otitis media (benign paroxysmal vertigo), in which severe dizziness as if the world is spinning when the head is moved to a specific position, is common. There is a 20% chance that a patient diagnosed with otolithiasis will develop otolithiasis again within 1 year. That is, one in five patients with otolithiasis will experience a recurrence within one year.
The main cause of otolithiasis is degenerative changes in the inner ear with aging. In addition, head trauma, prolonged lying down, and various diseases occurring in the inner ear are known to increase the incidence of otolithiasis.
In spite of the high recurrence rate, no clear cause or preventive method has been identified.
According to existing studies, it is known that the prevalence of otolithiasis is particularly high when vitamin D is insufficient and bone density is low. In addition, according to a study in which 8 domestic hospitals participated and randomly assigned 1050 otolithiasis patients to a vitamin D experimental group (518 patients) and a control group (532 patients) and compared the recurrence frequency for one year, when vitamin D was supplemented, It was found that the recurrence frequency of otolithiasis was reduced by about 27%.
Therefore, it is recommended that patients with frequent relapse of otolithiasis consider vitamin D supplementation therapy to reduce the number of recurrences in addition to receiving acute treatment including otolithiasis whenever dizziness occurs. In the case of intramuscular vitamin D injection, a high blood vitamin D concentration is maintained continuously until the late 3 months.
Recent studies have confirmed that a lack of vitamin D in the body causes problems with the immune system and inflammatory response system, exacerbating the risk and severity of COVID-19. It can be seen that the mortality rate has decreased.
Vitamin D deficiency and deficiency causes a decrease in the production of antibacterial peptide, an antibacterial protein, an abnormal immune response of T cells, an increase in apoptosis of lung epithelial cells, and an increase in the secretion of inflammatory cytokines in immune cells. condition, which increases the risk of a cytokine storm, which can be fatal, especially in critically ill patients.
In addition, low vitamin D concentration is known to be involved in increasing the severity of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
In the presence of vitamin D deficiency or deficiency, even if the blood vitamin D concentration is below the general recommended range (40-60 ng/mL), maintaining it above 30 ng/mL may reduce the overall COVID-19 infection rate, severity, and death rate. .
Vitamin D is known to boost the body’s immunity and prevent the flu and colds. Sun exposure is a good way to absorb vitamin D, especially since it is synthesized through exposure to UV rays.
It is good to walk or exercise while basking in the sun for more than 30 minutes a day.
Head of Asan Neurology E&O Neurology Department Hein-geun Oh (neurologist)