In Meniere’s disease (synonyms: Angioneurotic octave crisis; Angiopathia labyrinthica; Endolymphatic hydrops; Labyrinth hydrops; Labyrinth vertigo; Meniere’s disease; Meniere’s vertigo; Meniere’s symptom complex; Meniere’s syndrome; Menière’s syndrome; Menière’s vertigo; Vestibularis syndrome; ICD-10-GM H81. 0: Meniere’s disease) is a disease of the inner ear associated with rotary vertigo and hypacusis (hearing loss).
The disease leads to the formation of endolymphatic hydrops (increased occurrence of water or serous fluid) due to a reabsorption disorder of the endolymph (rich in potassium) in the inner ear. Meniere’s disease should therefore be better described as a hydropic inner ear disease.
Sex ratio: Men are more frequently affected than women. However, studies are contradictory in many cases.
Peak incidence: The peak incidence of Meniere’s disease is between the ages of 40 and 60.
The lifetime prevalence (disease incidence throughout life) is 0.5% (in Germany).
The incidence (frequency of new cases) is about 1 disease per 1,000 inhabitants per year (in industrialized countries).
Course and prognosis: Meniere’s disease initially affects only one ear. As the disease progresses, the other ear is often affected later. Both the course and the frequency and intensity of the attacks are unpredictable. Some patients suffer from several attacks per week, while others have single attacks per year. There may be pauses of months or even years between individual seizures. In many affected individuals, hypacusis develops over a period of years.