The influence of vertigo, hearing impairment and tinnitus on the daily life of Menière patients.

The aim of this questionnaire study was to investigate the impact of the symptoms in Meniere's disease on the daily life of patients and to analyse the relationships between the cardinal symptoms and environmental, emotional and activity factors. The study comprised 514 patients, recruited from two different sources. The results showed that vertigo, hearing impairment and tinnitus had a strong negative influence on the daily life of patients. Seventy-five percent of the subjects avoided certain everyday activities or situations because of the disease. However, the correlation between discomfort and reported satisfaction with life was moderate. Most of the subjects experienced premonitory symptoms of the attacks and 80% reported relations between external factors and vertigo attacks.