Association of Menière's disease with depression and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The persistent and recurring nature of Menière's Disease may pose psychological challenges for patients. The association between Menière's Disease and depression and anxiety remains inconclusive among pre-existing studies. This study seeks to review and synthesise existing evidence regarding the association between Menière's Disease and depression and anxiety.

Two authors independently searched PubMed, Embase and The Cochrane Library for observational or randomized studies investigating the association between Menière's Disease with depression or anxiety. Using a random-effects model, the prevalence of depression and anxiety among Menière's Disease patients were pooled using proportions, the standardized mean difference of depression and anxiety test scores between Menière's Disease patients and controls were compared, and maximally-adjusted risk ratios were pooled to determine the risk of depression and anxiety. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² test. The bias of studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) and the overall quality of evidence was determined using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) framework.

We included 35 observational studies with 15,890 patients. The prevalence of depression and anxiety among Menière's Disease patients were 34% (95% CI 18%-54%) and 23% (95% CI 16%-32%) respectively. Patients with Menière's Disease exhibited significantly elevated scores in both depression (SMD: 0.73, 95% CI 0.22-1.25) and anxiety (SMD: 0.687, 95% CI 0.228-1.146) assessments in comparison to healthy controls. However, no significant correlation was observed between Menière's Disease and the long-term risk of developing depression or anxiety.

There may be an association between Menière's Disease and depression and anxiety, but further studies are required to confirm these findings.