The Hearing Level-Influencing Factors of Meniere’s Disease

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the factors that influence the hearing level in Meniere’s disease patients. Materials and methods: A retrospective study was conducted using the medical records of 60 patients with Meniere’s disease who were treated in our hospital between January 2004 and December 2015. Results: The study population was 35.0% male and 65.0% female. The average age of the patients was 50.5 (range 20–74) years old. The age distribution showed a peak at 40 years. The patients who were treated for more than 2000 days showed significantly increased hearing thresholds compared with those of the patients who were treated for less than 500 days. The patients with vertigo or dizziness showed significantly worsened hearing levels in comparison to those of the patients without these symptoms. Furthermore, the hearing level of the patients treated with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or ventilation tubes worsened significantly more than that of the patients without these treatments. Conclusion: This study revealed that 1) long-standing disease, 2) vertigo or dizziness and 3) treatment with SSRIs or 4) ventilation tubes are important predictors of the hearing level of Meniere’s disease patients.