Water may cure patients with Meniere disease.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS:

We examined whether sufficient water intake is effective in the long-term control of vertigo and hearing activity in patients with Meniere disease (MD) for whom conventional therapy has proven unsuccessful.

STUDY DESIGN:

The authors conducted a time-series study with historical control.

METHODS:

Eighteen patients with MD in group 1 drank 35 mL/kg per day of water for 2 years. Twenty-nine patients with MD treated with the conventional dietary and diuretic therapy for more than 2 years during 1992 to 1999 at the same hospital were enrolled in a historical control of group 2.

RESULTS:

Patients in group 1 dramatically relieved vertigo and significantly improved in the hearing of the worst pure-tone average of three frequencies (0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 kHz) (low PTA) during the last 6 months of the study period. In contrast, patients in group 2 became worse in both the four- (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz) frequency PTA and the low PTA, although their vertigo did improve. The number of patients whose hearing were improved, unchanged, and worse were 4, 12, and 2 in group 1 and 2, 11, and 16 in group 2, respectively.

CONCLUSION:

Deliberate modulation of the intake of water may be the simplest and most cost-effective medical treatment for patients with MD. Larger studies will be needed to confirm these results in a larger patient cohort.

• Authors: Hideaki Naganuma, Katsumasa Kawahara, Koji Tokumasu, Makito Okamoto
• Journal: The Laryngoscope (Laryngoscope) Vol. 116 Issue 8 Pg. 1455-60 (Aug 2006) ISSN: 0023-852X [Print] United States
• PMID: 16885753 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Clinical Trial, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Vasopressins

Topics

• Drinking
• Female
• Hearing Disorders (therapy)
• Humans
• Male
• Meniere Disease (therapy)
• Middle Aged
• Vasopressins (blood)
• Vertigo (therapy)