EPIDEMIOLOGIC AND CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MENIERES-DISEASE IN JAPAN

From 1975 to 1990, nationwide surveys on Meniere's disease were performed three times by the Research Committee of Meniere's disease (1975-76) and the Research Committee of Peripheral Vestibular Disorders (1982-84 and 1990) in Japan. Nine hundred and fifty-eight definite Meniere cases, 520 in the Ist, 230 in the 2nd and 148 in the 3rd survey, were sampled by the members of the Committees. The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Meniere's disease were analyzed and compared with such control cases as other vertiginous patients, ENT patients without vertigo, and healthy subjects. In Meniere's disease, the male to female ratio has changed from even to female predominance over the 15 years the study ran. The age distribution at onset peaked in the forties for males and thirties for females. Significant epidemiologcial results are summarized as follows: Definite Meniere's disease has a higher incidence in married persons and in people with a nervous and precise character, whereas the incidence is lower in obese people. Physical and mental fatigue induced the onset of attacks. Meniere's disease happened in day time in many cases, especially during the afternoon. As these epidemiological findings were commonly observed in all the surveys, the results are considered to be universal epidemiological characteristics of Meniere's disease in Japan. In the same period, regional investigations were performed by Toyama Medical Association and our University. The male to female ratio in Toyama indicated a more significant female predominance than in the nationwide surveys. The prevalence of Meniere's disease in Toyama Prefecture has been almost constant in all surveys, about 17/100,000 since 1974. The purpose of this paper was to generalize obtained by the nationwide and regional surveys for 15 years.