Fluid-solute regulation systems in patients with Meniere's disease.

A comprehensive endocrinologic evaluation of water electrolyte balance system was performed on 25 patients with Meniere's disease, 6 persons with sudden deafness, and 20 normal persons. In the controlled environment, the following studies were performed: (1) plasma and urine NA+K+ and Cl-, (2) plasma 17-ketosteroid and 17-hydroxysteroids, (3) plasma cortisol and ACTH, (4) urine steroids, (5) urinary excretion of aldosterone, (6) plasma activity of the renin (PRA) in clinostatism and in orthostatism, (7) plasma aldosterone in clinostatism and orthostatism. In patients with Meniere's disease and sudden deafness, the walter-electrolyte balance results were normal, as were the hormonal system directly (renin-aldosterone) or indirectly (cortisol-ACTH) involved. A further confirmation of the integrity of the explored enzymatic-endocrinologic complex derived from the normal response observed in all patients when they were subjected to a physiologic stimulus as represented by the orthostatism. The results of the present study do not confirm previous findings by Arenberg and Goodfriend.