| Abstrakt: |
The typical characteristics of patients with Meniere's disease were analysed by gathering data of patients treated for the disease in Finnish hospitals A total of 442 patient charts were retrospectively examined, and 221 definite cases were identified. Various parameters, such as age, gender, sex, marital and occupational status, laterality of the disease and concomitant chronic diseases, including other internal ear disorders affecting hearing capacity, were analysed. The audiometric configurations of the latest audiograms were classified according to an EU Work Group classification and a new mid-frequency based classification, and these classifications were evaluated in relation to the duration of the disease. Sixty-two percent of the patients were female, and the median age of all subjects was 60 years. The disease was bilateral in 13% of the patients, and 26% of the patients were hearing aid users. No single occupation was overrepresented. Ischaemic heart disease seemed to be more common among the patients with Meniere's disease than in the general population. Almost half of the patients were retired, but Meniere's disease had been the cause of retirement for less than half of the retired subjects. Vertigo appeared to be the predominant symptom, and the half of the patients had had a vertiginous episode lasting for more than three hours. Half of the patients had significant functional impairment because of the disease. Thirty-two percent had participated in short-term rehabilitation courses for patients with Meniere's disease. The disease was controlled conservatively in 69% of the cases. A gently sloping high-frequency pattern was most prevalent according to the EU Work Group classification and a flat pattern according to the mid-frequency based classification. In both classifications, the ascending configuration was most typically seen in patients who had had the disease for 2 to 10 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
