OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cortisol and catecholamine levels in patients with Ménière's disease. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, controlled study. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Thirty patients with Ménière's disease and 18 healthy controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Serum and saliva cortisol, serum cortisol after the dexamethasone suppression test, urine free cortisol, and urine catecholamines. RESULTS: The serum and saliva cortisol levels were higher in Ménière's patients compared with their control group: 440 +/- 127 (n = 28) versus 366 +/- 90 (nmol/L) (n = 18) and 17.2 +/- 6.1 (n = 18) versus 11.6 +/- 4.6 (nmol/L) (n = 9), respectively. Both differences were significant (p < 0.05). There were no dissimilarities in urine cortisol or urine catecholamines for either group. Twenty-eight Ménière's patients were divided into two subgroups, namely, high- and low-cortisol groups, using a serum cortisol level cutoff point of 465 nmol/L (median). The total Ménière's disease time and the duration of tinnitus tended to be longer in the high-cortisol group (p = 0.07, two-tailed). The total Ménière's disease time was 13.5 +/- 9.9 years in the high-cortisol group and 7.1 +/- 7.4 years in the low-cortisol group (n = 14 for both). The subgroups were matched for age, gender, and unilaterally or bilaterally affected ears. CONCLUSION: Patients with Ménière's disease have higher serum cortisol levels. It is suggested that these higher cortisol levels are rather the result than the cause of this chronic disease, because patients affected longer seem to have higher cortisol levels. The exact impact of these higher cortisol levels on the inner ear and endolymph homeostasis is yet unknown.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cortisol and catecholamine levels in patients with Ménière's disease. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, controlled study. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Thirty patients with Ménière's disease and 18 healthy controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Serum and saliva cortisol, serum cortisol after the dexamethasone suppression test, urine free cortisol, and urine catecholamines. RESULTS: The serum and saliva cortisol levels were higher in Ménière's patients compared with their control group: 440 +/- 127 (n = 28) versus 366 +/- 90 (nmol/L) (n = 18) and 17.2 +/- 6.1 (n = 18) versus 11.6 +/- 4.6 (nmol/L) (n = 9), respectively. Both differences were significant (p < 0.05). There were no dissimilarities in urine cortisol or urine catecholamines for either group. Twenty-eight Ménière's patients were divided into two subgroups, namely, high- and low-cortisol groups, using a serum cortisol level cutoff point of 465 nmol/L (median). The total Ménière's disease time and the duration of tinnitus tended to be longer in the high-cortisol group (p = 0.07, two-tailed). The total Ménière's disease time was 13.5 +/- 9.9 years in the high-cortisol group and 7.1 +/- 7.4 years in the low-cortisol group (n = 14 for both). The subgroups were matched for age, gender, and unilaterally or bilaterally affected ears. CONCLUSION:Patients with Ménière's disease have higher serum cortisol levels. It is suggested that these higher cortisol levels are rather the result than the cause of this chronic disease, because patients affected longer seem to have higher cortisol levels. The exact impact of these higher cortisol levels on the inner ear and endolymph homeostasis is yet unknown.
Authors: Yiwen Zheng; Sangeeta Balabhadrapatruni; Jean Ha Baek; Phoebe Chung; Catherine Gliddon; Ming Zhang; Cynthia L Darlington; Ruth Napper; Michael Strupp; Thomas Brandt; Paul F Smith Journal: Front Neurol Date: 2012-02-28 Impact factor: 4.003
Authors: A Eckhard; A Dos Santos; W Liu; M Bassiouni; H Arnold; C Gleiser; B Hirt; C Harteneck; M Müller; H Rask-Andersen; H Löwenheim Journal: Pflugers Arch Date: 2015-07-25 Impact factor: 3.657
Authors: Nadine Hummel; Katharina Hüfner; Thomas Stephan; Jennifer Linn; Olympia Kremmyda; Thomas Brandt; Virginia L Flanagin Journal: PLoS One Date: 2014-04-28 Impact factor: 3.240