title: Behçet's disease presenting as a peripheral vestibulopathy.
abstract: Prolonged acute spontaneous vertigo can be secondary to acute vestibular neuritis or posterior circulation ischaemia. We present a 66-year-old man who first developed an acute vestibular syndrome with profound unilateral hearing loss 34 years ago. First treated as vestibular neuritis, he subsequently developed manifestations of Behçet's disease, including mouth ulcers, genital ulcers and erythema nodosum over a period of 10 years. Subsequently, sudden sensorineural hearing loss affecting his only hearing ear responded to immunomodulation, confirming an autoimmune cause for the audiovestibular symptoms. This report serves as a reminder that vestibular neuritis seldom causes hearing loss; ischaemic, infective and autoimmune causes should be sought when an acute vestibular syndrome is accompanied by hearing impairment.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Neuroscience, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Missenden Road, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia.
authors.forename: Alison S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Healthy Hearing and Balance Care, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Rachael L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Immunology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Celene
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McNeill
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Neuroscience, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Missenden Road, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garsia
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Neuroscience, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Missenden Road, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia. Electronic address: mwelgamp@med.usyd.edu.au.
authors.forename: Miriam S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Welgampola
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020338:Vestibular Neuronitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: Behçet’s; Hearing loss; Vestibular