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Ménières disease is a disorder of the inner ear characterized by hearing loss (usually unilateral), poor speech discrimination, dizziness, nausea and in some cases, tinnitus. Dizziness is usually the most serious complaint. Hearing levels often fluctuate, sometimes returning to near-normal levels, but over a period of several years hearing in the affected ear usually deteriorates gradually.

Two researchers at the House Ear Institute may have found a connection between allergies and Ménières. M Derebery, M.D., and K. Berliner, Ph.D., conducted a mail survey of 1,490 patients diagnosed with Ménières. A control group of 172 randomly selected patients with ear diseases other than Ménières were also surveyed.

Questionnaires were returned by 734 Ménières patients. Of that group, 42% reported having known airborne allergies and about 40% reported having known or suspected food allergies. The control group reported significantly lower rates of known or suspected allergies, with 28% reporting known airborne allergies and 25% reporting known or suspected food allergies. The incidence rates for airborne allergies in the general population have been reported at 14 to 20%.

The most common allergy-related symptoms reported by the Ménières group were nasal or sinus congestion (68%), itching (49%), runny nose (48%) and fatigue (39%). About half the Ménières group believed there was a relationship between their inner ear symptoms and time of year or season changes.

Also, 23% felt there was a relationship to ingestion of certain foods. Respondents listed caffeine, dairy products, sugar and alcohol as suspected food items.

The investigators theorized that the Ménières symptoms could be the result of an allergic reaction of the endolymphatic sac. Previous studies have implicated a variety of causes, including viral infection and autoimmune factors.

The results were reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery held in September 1999 in New Orleans.