Clinical Manifestations of Headache in Meniere's Disease

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A possible link between Meniere's disease (MD) and headache was originally suggested by Prosper Meniere. We aimed to analyze the clinical manifestation of headache in definite MD compared with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) as a control group. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We examined headache in 67 patients with definite MD according to the criteria of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS). Sex- and age-matched 67 patients with BPPV served as a control group. Information was obtained concerning the prevalence, localization, severity, character, sequence of headache and response to therapy. RESULTS: Altogether 60 MD patients (90%) and 47 BPPV patients (70%) was reply the questionnaire. 46 MD patients (69%) and 15 BPPV patients (22%) reported headache. Headache was moderate to severe in 39 MD patients (85%) and as a whole more severe than that of the BPPV patients (P<0.05). Temporal area was the most frequently involved region in MD group, whereas posterior neck area was most frequent in BPPV group. The sequence of headache and vertigo attack was pre-(23%), intra-(33%), after-(44%). The 39 patients (89%) of headache in MD was response to the vestibular suppressants, diuretics, calcium channel blocker. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that high incidence of headache and migraine in combination with MD seems to common pathophysiology with migraine. Therefore, our results could provide predictive value in the treatment and follow up of MD patients with headache.