Association of Alzheimer's Disease With Peripheral Vestibular Disorder: A Case–Control Study

Objectives: Vestibular disorders can impact cognitive domains, including spatial orientation and memory, which are also affected in Alzheimer's disease. This study aimed to examine the association between Alzheimer's disease and a prior diagnosis of peripheral vestibular disorders in the elderly Taiwanese population. Methods: The case–control study sample was retrieved from Taiwan's Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2010. We included 3138 cases with Alzheimer's disease and 9414 propensity-matched controls. We conducted multivariable logistic regression modeling to investigate the association between Alzheimer's disease and a prior diagnosis of peripheral vestibular disorders after accounting for sociodemographic characteristics and medical comorbidities including diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hearing loss. Results: The results revealed a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of prior peripheral vestibular disorders between patients with Alzheimer's disease and controls; 20.6% among patients with Alzheimer's disease and 11.4% among controls (p < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis found that patients with Alzheimer's disease were twice as likely as controls to have had a prior diagnosis of peripheral vestibular disorders, adjusted odds ratio 2.040 (95% confidence interval: 1.829–2.274). Conclusions: The findings suggest the possibility of shared or related pathophysiological pathways in Alzheimer's disease and vestibular dysfunction disorders. Level of Evidence: 3 Laryngoscope, 2024.