Autoimmune Thyroid Disease: An Unusual Cause or Confounder of Vertigo

Over the last decade, the published literature investigating the association between thyroid function and recurrent or persistent vertigo has become more robust. We present an interesting case of persistent vertigo in a healthy 31-year-old active duty Navy pilot who was restricted from operating single-pilot rotary aircraft because of the severity of her symptoms. During her work-up, she was newly diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid disease and started on thyroid hormone supplementation. Adequately treating her underlying thyroid disease was associated with resolution of dizzy symptoms and she was granted a waiver to return to flying. This case highlights the importance of autoimmune thyroid disease as a less common but important diagnosis to consider in the broad differential for vertigo. This is especially relevant to the military population since dizziness contributes to spatial disorientation for aviators and can be highly debilitating for warfighters. Astutely diagnosing and treating underlying causes of dizziness may allow service members to return to physically demanding and mentally arduous duties, improving overall military readiness.