Vestibular neuronitis may be described as acute, sustained dysfunction of the peripheral

vestibular system with secondary nausea, vomiting, and vertigo. As this condition is not
clearly inflammatory in nature, neurologists often refer to it as vestibular neuropathy.
Although vestibular neuronitis and labyrinthitis may be closely related in some cases,
vestibular neuronitis is generally distinguished from labyrinthitis by preserved auditory
function.
Its etiology remains largely unknown, yet vestibular neuronitis appears to be a
sudden disruption of afferent neuronal input from 1 of the 2 vestibular
apparatuses. This imbalance in vestibular neurologic input to the central nervous
system (CNS) causes symptoms of vertigo. At least some cases are thought to be
due to reactivation of latent herpes simplex virus type 1 in the vestibular ganglia.

United States
Dizziness is the primary ED complaint in 3.3% of US ED visits, and approximately 5.6% of
these patients are diagnosed with vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis. Thus, the annual
incidence of these two diagnoses in US EDs is approximately 150,000 patients
Most patients experience complete recovery within a few weeks. A minority have
recurrent vertiginous episodes following rapid head movement for years after
onset
Studies have shown no consistent male or female predominance
This syndrome occurs most commonly in middle-aged adults; mean age of onset
is 41 years