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Hearing loss and tinnitus in Meniere's disease
1Department of Otolaryngology, Helsinki University Hospital, PB 220, 00029 Hus, Helsinki, Finland. mari.havia@kolumbus.fi
Objectives:
To characterize hearing loss, tinnitus and associative factors in Meniere's disease.
Methods:
From our vertigo database consisting of 1356 patients, we retrieved 243 patients with Meniere's disease (MD).
Results:
Hearing loss was the initial symptom in 13% of cases. Altogether 64% (n=133) of the patients stated that their hearing was reduced during the vertigo attack. The hearing deteriorated more likely during the vertigo attack if the vertigo attack was very intense [r(206)=0.19]. Tinnitus was the initial symptom in 5% of cases. The tinnitus was mild in 38% (n=90), moderate in 32% (n=76) and severe in 30% (n=72) of patients. The intensity of tinnitus correlated with the occurrence of drop attacks [r(237)=0.29], vertigo provoked by head positioning [r(235)=0.25], by physical activity [r(230)=0.33], or by pressure changes [r(239)=0.27].
Conclusion:
Prolonged disease causes deterioration of hearing. Intense tinnitus is common in MD and is more often seen in late stage of the disease.