Otolin-1 is an inner ear-specific protein that is exclusively expressed in otoconia and vestibule and cochlea cells. Recent investigations reported that otolin-1 can cross the blood-labyrinthine barrier and that the levels in serum well-reflected otolith status. Serum otolin-1 levels in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) are significantly elevated compared with healthy controls. We aimed to explore whether otolin-1 can also serve as a biomarker for predicting BPPV recurrence.
Patients at our institution with new-onset of idiopathic BPPV between May, 2017 and May, 2018 were recruited and followed up for 2 years. All demographic data of the patients were collected, and serum levels of otolin-1 and other laboratory indicators were measured and compared according to the recurrence status.
A total of 74 patients, who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in this study, of which 27 (36.5%) patients had suffered one or more episodes of recurrence after undergoing canal repositioning treatments during the study. The serum levels of otolin-1 in patients with recurrent BPPV were significantly higher than those in patients without recurrent BPPV (363.9 vs. 309.8 pg/ml,
High serum levels of otolin-1 were associated with an increased risk of BPPV recurrence, and further investigation is required to confirm this association and clarify the exact mechanism.