Abstract
Serum antidiuretic hormone (ADH) levels were determined with a radioimmunoassay using a reversed-phase C18 silica column in 200 patients with vertigo, dizziness and/or deafness; 85 of them had a diagnosis of Meniere's disease. The serum ADH level was significantly elevated in patients with Meniere's disease and in others with endolymphatic hydrops; e. g. cochlear Meniere's disease or delayed hydrops. On the other hand, the serum ADH level was rarely elevated in patients without endolymphatic hydrops. The increase of serum ADH in Meniere's disease showed no differences in relation to sex, duration of disease or laterality, but it was closely linked to vertigo attacks. The serum ADH level was very high during the week after an attack of vertigo and dizziness (acute phase), but it fell when the attack ended (remission). These results suggest that disorders of ADH-control in the inner ear are part of the mechanism underlying vertigo attacks in Meniere's disease.
