A Case Study Providing a Potential Link Between Long-COVID and Vestibular Symptoms 

The case report, Relative Brain Perfusion Differences in a Patient with Persistent Neurocognitive and Vestibular Symptoms Associated with Post-COVID-19 Condition: A Case Report (Pham, 2026), describes a patient who developed persistent cognitive and vestibular symptoms following a COVID-19 infection. This patient underwent brain-perfusion imaging to investigate whether there were objective abnormalities associated with their symptoms. Testing identified regional differences in cerebral perfusion for this patient. The authors suggest that post-COVID symptoms might have physiological correlates, as appreciated on brain-perfusion testing, that can be present in the absence of other identified brain abnormalities. According to the authors, it is possible for COVID-19 to cause long-standing vascular dysfunction that leads to lowered cerebral blood perfusion and cognitive/vestibular symptoms. Although this is only a single case study, it may help substantiate a link between long-COVID and vestibular-type symptoms that are not otherwise identifiable with peripheral testing.

Reference

Pham, B., & Stoychev, G. (2026). Relative brain perfusion differences in a patient with persistent neurocognitive and vestibular symptoms associated with post-COVID-19 condition: A case report. Cureus, 18, e114380.