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Updated: Feb 20, 2026
07:24
Using Eye-tracking to Assess the Relative Importance of Visual and Vestibular Input to Subcortical Motion Processing in the Roll Plane
Published on: August 22, 2025
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Environmental drivers of vertigo
Benyamin M Kaminer1, Naama Schor2,3, Tali Shorer4
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Soroka University Medical Center.
Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine
|February 18, 2026
Summary
High barometric pressure may increase vertigo risk, especially for hypertensive individuals. Environmental factors like heat and humidity also show potential links to vertigo onset, warranting further investigation into these seasonal patterns.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Medicine
- Epidemiology
- Meteorology
Background:
- Vertigo, a spinning sensation, exhibits seasonal incidence variations in conditions like Meniere's disease.
- The precise environmental triggers and mechanisms behind vertigo's seasonal patterns remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between environmental factors and vertigo onset.
- To analyze seasonal vertigo patterns considering temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, and viral infections in Israel's Negev desert.
Main Methods:
- A case-crossover study analyzed 9,382 vertigo patients from 2014-2019 at Soroka Medical Center.
- Environmental data (temperature, pressure, humidity) and viral infection trends were correlated with vertigo incidence.
Main Results:
- A 21% vertigo risk increase was linked to two consecutive days of high barometric pressure (above 90th percentile).
- Hypertensive patients showed a 40% increased risk under similar barometric pressure conditions.
- Trends suggested increased vertigo risk with extreme dry heat in spring and heatwaves/humidity in fall, though not statistically significant.
Conclusions:
- High barometric pressure is a potential atmospheric factor influencing vertigo onset.
- Observed trends suggest environmental factors, including atmospheric conditions, play a role in vertigo, meriting further research.
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