Comparative study of the daily lifestyle of patients with Meniere's disease and controls.

OBJECTIVES

This study was performed to investigate the possibility that daily lifestyle may have a causal relationship with Meniere's disease.

METHODS

We conducted a questionnaire study of daily lifestyles among groups of patients with Meniere's disease and those with low-frequency hearing loss, and compared the results with those of control groups of local residents matched individually by gender and age.

RESULTS

The Meniere's disease group diverged most widely from the control groups in their behavior patterns. Significant divergence was especially indicated in their engrossed, self-inhibiting, and time-constrained behaviors. Although the low-frequency hearing loss group also exhibited similar tendencies toward engrossment and in their feeling pressed for time, their self-inhibiting behavior was less pronounced. There was no major difference between the endolymphatic hydrops patient groups and the control groups on other items in the study such as daily lifestyle, environmental stress, and means of relaxation.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study strongly suggest that there may be a link between an individual's specific behavior patterns and the onset of Meniere's disease.