Abstract
Of the 1, 399 patients who visited the Neuro-Otological clinic of the Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital from January 1982 to December 1984, peripheral vestibular disorders were diagnosed 559 (40.0%). Of these, 61 (4.4%) had definite Mèniére's disease, 73 (5.2%) had benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), and 45 had sudden deafness with vertigo and/or dizziness. The diagnosis of these three diseases was based on the criterca of the Research Committee of Peripheral Vestibular Disorders.
An epidemiological study of these patients revealed the following features.
1) The incidence of Mèniére's disease in Toyama Prefecture was 17.3per 100, 000 population on the basis of the reports of this intractable disease by the members of the Toyama Medical Association. The incidence of BPPV in Toyama was 26.3per 100, 000 population, and that of sudden deafness with vertigo was 18.5 among the patients examined at Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital.
2) The male: female ratio among in patients with definite Mèniére's disease, was 21:40; for BPPV it was smaller (22:51). Among those with sudden deafness with vertigo it was 21:24.
3) The age at the onset of Mèniére's disease peaked in the third decade in males and in the fifth decade in females. The peak for BPPV in males was in the forth decade, while in females it was in the fifth decade. Sudden deafness peaked in the fifth decade in both males and females.
4) The number of patients with Mèniére's disease was higher in the cities of Toyama Prefecture than in the rural areas. The other diseases showed the same geographic distribution.
5) Of the 61 patients with definite Mèniére's disease, 8 had bilateral symptoms (13.18%). Among the 45 patients with sudden deafness, there were no cases of bilateral deafness.
This epidemiological study shows that the characteristic features of Mèniére's disease are similar to those of BPPV but different from those of sudden deafness.
