Reporter Youngchan Choi | 2023.02.23 05:21
As outdoor activities are reduced in the cold winter, more and more people suffer from otolithiasis. It is estimated that around 450,000 people will suffer from tinnitus by 2021.
Otolithiasis is a disease in which otoliths (small stones) attached to the ovoid-like sac of the organ of equilibrium in the inner ear (inner ear) fall and enter the semicircular canal, causing dizziness. The main symptom of otolithiasis is that when you change your posture, you feel that the surroundings or yourself are turning or that your body is sinking to the floor. Nausea and vomiting may also occur.
In most cases, otolithiasis occurs without any specific cause. Otoliths are made of calcium carbonate and become smaller and weaker with age, so they tend to occur more often in older people, especially in women. Osteoporosis or vitamin D deficiency is more likely. That is why the number of patients with otolithiasis increases when indoor activities are increased without exposure to sunlight in the cold winter.
Professor Lee Ik-seong from the Department of Neurology at Soonchunhyang Bucheon University Hospital explained, “Although otolithiasis occurs more with age, it can also occur in people in their 20s and 40s as it is the most common cause of dizziness.”
If you have ever had a head injury or inner ear disease such as vestibular neuritis or Meniere’s disease, you may also have otolithiasis.
Otolithiasis is a disease that recurs in about 2 in 10 people within a year. In order to prevent this from happening again, it is good to do a lot of outdoor activities so that vitamin D does not become insufficient, and if necessary, add to oral medicines or injections.
Professor Lee said, “Many people who have suffered from otolithiasis are afraid to move their body for fear of a recurrence. It is good to be active,” he said.
