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Postural instability in Meniere's disease

M Havia1, E Kentala, I Pyykkö

  • 1Department of Otolaryngology, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. mari.havia@kolumbus.fi

Journal of Vestibular Research : Equilibrium & Orientation
|May 25, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Postural instability in Meniere

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Otolaryngology
  • Biomedical Engineering

Background:

  • Meniere's disease (MD) is a disorder of the inner ear affecting balance and hearing.
  • Postural instability is a common symptom in MD, but its relationship with disease duration is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between the duration of Meniere's disease and postural instability.
  • To evaluate postural sway in MD patients using posturography.

Main Methods:

  • 180 Meniere's disease patients underwent clinical examination and symptom questionnaires.
  • Postural instability was assessed using force platform posturography, measuring sway velocities (SV).
  • Patients were grouped by disease duration and hearing loss severity (pure tone average - PTA).

Main Results:

  • No statistically significant difference in mean sway velocity (SV) was found across different Meniere's disease durations.
  • A non-significant trend showed a decline in normal eyes-open SV from 73% to 38% with increasing disease duration.
  • Patients with moderate hearing loss (PTA 41-70 dB) exhibited significantly higher SV (eyes open and closed) compared to those with mild hearing loss (PTA < 25 dB).

Conclusions:

  • Disease duration does not appear to significantly impact overall sway velocity in Meniere's disease patients.
  • Hearing loss severity, specifically moderate impairment, is associated with greater postural instability in Meniere's disease.

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