[A preliminary study on the effects of vestibular migraine, Meniere's disease and comorbidities on emotional status...

Objective: This study aims to investigate the differences in emotional status and cognitive function among patients with vestibular migraine (VM), Meniere's disease (MD), and their comorbidity (VMMD), and to analyze key factors influencing cognitive function. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 96 outpatients (32 males, 64 females, aged 21-73 years) from the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, between December 2022 and December 2023. The study population consisted of 31 VM patients (VM group), 36 MD patients (MD group), and 29 VMMD patients (VMMD group), along with 32 healthy controls (16 males, 16 females, aged 19-74 years). Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), while emotional status and somatization symptoms were evaluated through the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, Patient Health Questionnaire Depression scale, Symptom Checklist-90, and the Self-rating Somatization Symptom scale. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to explore the influence of different variables on cognitive function. Results: The total MoCA score in the VMMD group (26.0 [24.5, 28.0]) was significantly lower than that in the control group (28.0 [27.0, 29.0]) and the MD group (28.0 [26.0, 30.0]) (P=0.006). VMMD patients exhibited significant impairments in specific cognitive domains, including visuospatial/executive function, delayed recall, and orientation (P<0.05). Patients with VM, MD, and VMMD showed higher rates of anxiety, depression, and somatization symptoms compared to the control group (P<0.05), with the VMMD group experiencing the most severe emotional distress. Multiple linear regression analysis identified education level and vestibular disease type as key factors affecting cognitive function, with a university-level education predicting higher MoCA scores (P<0.001), while VMMD was associated with cognitive decline (P<0.01). Conclusions: Patients with VM and MD, particularly those with comorbid VMMD, exhibit significant emotional distress. Cognitive impairments are present in VM and VMMD patients, affecting different cognitive domains. These factors should be comprehensively considered in clinical assessments to develop more effective treatment strategies.