Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Media Relations >
  • News Releases >
  • 121218 Havana Embassy Phenomenon
Media Relations
News Releases
Central Pa. News
North Central Pa. News
Contact Us
Experts
Community-Focused News
Media Kits
Media RSS
Media Relations
News Releases
Central Pa. News
North Central Pa. News
Contact Us
Experts
Community-Focused News
Media Kits
Media RSS

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

Havana Embassy Phenomenon: Researchers Report Acute Findings

Want to Make an Appointment or Need Patient Information?
Contact UPMC at

1-800-533-8762.

Go to Find a Doctor to search for a UPMC doctor.

2 NEW PITT HS

12/12/2018

PITTSBURGH – Beginning in late 2016, U.S. diplomats and family members stationed in Havana, Cuba, reported a number of sudden-onset symptoms, including dizziness, ear pain and tinnitus. They noted a high frequency, loud and very localized sound that sometimes followed them as they moved through a room. For the first time, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have described these acute symptoms and their associated clinical findings. The analysis is published today in the journal Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology.

 

“This report is incredibly important because it represents the findings from patient evaluations that were conducted shortly after exposure, and an analysis of the data confirming that they had a unique set of symptoms that we have not seen before,” said Carey Balaban, Ph.D., one of the corresponding authors on the study and a professor of otolaryngology in Pitt’s School of Medicine who also has appointments in the departments of Neurobiology, Communication Science & Disorders, and Bioengineering at Pitt. 

 

The study included a retrospective review of clinical data from 25 people at the U.S. Embassy who reported a localized sensation of noise and pressure, and 10 individuals who were housemates of those affected and did not experience the sensations. 

 

“Objective testing showed evidence of a balance dysfunction that affects the inner ear and a unique pattern of cognitive dysfunction,” said Michael E. Hoffer, M.D., professor of otolaryngology and neurological surgery at Miami’s Miller School of Medicine and the lead and co-corresponding author. “This cluster of auditory, vestibular and neurological symptoms, along with associated psychological issues, does not resemble more classic traumatic brain injury (TBI), based on our team’s vast experience in this area.”

 

Over the course of a few months beginning in February 2017, Hoffer, along with University of Miami’s Hillary Snapp, Au.D., Ph.D., associate professor of otolaryngology and chief of audiology; Bonnie E. Levin, Ph.D., professor of neurology and director of the Division of Neuropsychology; and James Buskirk, a doctoral student and physical therapist, evaluated individuals who suspected they had been affected, between four and 60 days after exposure. The team also evaluated a larger group of 105 embassy workers who denied any “exposure” to noise or a pressure sensation.

 

Balaban, who has collaborated with Hoffer for more than two decades on research involving balance disorders and traumatic brain injuries, was called in to join the team because of his longstanding experience in studying complex and often difficult-to-understand symptoms involving balance disorders. Balaban has published extensively on inner ear physiology, including seminal research that has shown a link between balance disorders and cognitive dysfunction, anxiety and migraine. 

 

The study found that all of the 25 people with symptoms noticed unsteadiness and features of cognitive impairment. Dizziness (92 percent) and cognitive complaints (56 percent) were the most common symptoms. Formal testing revealed that all of them had an inner ear abnormality and evidence of cognitive dysfunction. After the evaluations, a number of the patients were treated for balance, cognitive and emotional symptoms.

 

“This is the first and only report of the acute presentation seen shortly after exposure in this unique group of patients,” said Hoffer. “Our findings are unaffected by the influence of time, variable amounts of rehabilitation, workers compensation concerns or media attention. It is an important contribution to this field and in helping us to determine what happened.”

 

While the study did not attempt to determine the cause of the symptoms in these U.S. Embassy residents, the researchers noted that intense ultrasonic exposures can produce “a syndrome involving manifestations of nausea, headache, tinnitus, pain, dizziness and fatigue,” based on occupational health literature. “The exposure responsible for these findings is unknown,” they wrote. “It would be imprudent to exclude any potential directed or non-directed energy sources at this time.”

 

No funding was provided for this work. 
UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login