Four cases of audio-vestibular disorders related to immunisation with SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines

• DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2022.2056721
• Publication Date: 2022-05-05T10:14:15Z
• Authors: Pierre Ekobena; Laura E. Rothuizen; Francesca Bedussi; Pierre Guilcher; Sylvain Meylan; Alessandro Ceschi; François Girardin; Kim Dao
• Keywords: COVID-19 Vaccines; SARS-CoV-2; Humans; SARS-CoV-2/genetics; COVID-19 Vaccines/adverse effects; BNT162 Vaccine; COVID-19/prevention & control; Immunization; Vestibular Diseases/etiology; Vestibular Diseases/genetics; Deafness; RNA, Messenger; Adverse event; COVID-19 mRNA vaccines; hearing loss; immunisation; sensorineural; vestibular neuritis; COVID-19; Deafness; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Vestibular Diseases; Humans; Immunization; RNA, Messenger; BNT162 Vaccine

To gain medical insight into the clinical course and safety of otolaryngologic disorders following immunisation with severe acute respiratory coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA-based vaccines. Case description. We report four cases of transient audio-vestibular symptoms, which occurred shortly after inoculation of two BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech®) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna®) vaccines. Hearing loss was unilateral in all cases and recovered at least partially: it was associated with persistent gait instability in two cases, after 1 and 7 months. Trigger mechanisms underpinning audio-vestibular impairment remain uncertain. Immune tolerance mechanisms with off-target innate activation of T-lymphocytes may be involved in vestibulocochlear nerve disorders, as for other cranial nerves involvement. The occurrence of audio-vestibular manifestations following mRNA-based vaccines needs ENT monitoring to support their causality in such rare vaccine-related adverse events. Audio-vestibular disorders appeared of transitory nature, including hearing loss, and should not deter further efforts in large-scale vaccination campaigns against SARS-CoV-2.