Alex, Anu; Lepcha, Anjali; Augustine, Ann Mary; Philip, Ajay; Mammen, Manju Deena

Author(s)

Alex, Anu

Lepcha, Anjali

Augustine, Ann Mary

Philip, Ajay

Mammen, Manju Deena

Publication Date

2025-02-01

Abstract

The effects of noise on the vestibular and balance function are under-studied. Studies have demonstrated that like the cochlea, the otolith organs are also sensitive to sound but the exact mechanism is unclear. Both impulse and continuous noise exposure may damage the cochlear and/or vestibular organ and lead to the formation of endolymphatic hydrops. We describe 9 patients who had Meniere's syndrome following excessive noise exposure.Study design: retrospective study.Setting: Tertiary care centre in South India.Subject and methods: Medical records of patients who visited the audio vestibular clinics of a large tertiary care hospital between January 2014 and July 2021 were screened and those diagnosed with Meniere's syndrome following noise exposure were included in the study. Details of clinical presentation, investigations and management were noted.Among 18,844 patients, 342 patients were diagnosed as Meniere's disease and endolymphatic hydrops (primary or secondary) Among these, 9 patients were diagnosed as Meniere's syndrome following excessive noise exposure (prevalence of 2.6% of Meniere's disease). Their vestibular symptoms developed after a time gap of 4 months to 9 years. Seven patients had prolonged occupational noise exposure while two had acoustic trauma. Their Pure Tone Audiogram revealed a flat or a high frequency hearing loss except in 2 patients. These patients responded well to standard treatments for Meniere's disease.Secondary Meniere's syndrome due to excessive noise exposure constitutes about 2.6% of Meniere's disease. These could result from sudden acoustic trauma or prolonged noise exposure and seem to have a good prognosis with standard treatment of Meniere's disease and otoprotective measures. Awareness and recognition of this condition may help improve prognosis.

Affiliation

Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Center, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632004 India.

Alice Springs Hospital, The Gap, Australia.

Department of ENT, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu India.

Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu India.

Citation

Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg . 2025 Feb;77(2):814-820. doi: 10.1007/s12070-024-05257-8. Epub 2024 Dec 5.

ISSN

2231-3796

OrcId

0000-0003-1537-8690

0000-0002-0505-6703

0000-0002-4179-528X

0000-0002-8753-0121

Pubmed ID

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40065961/?otool=iaurydwlib

Link

https://hdl.handle.net/10137/14181

Subject

Continuous noise

Impulse noise

Meniere’s disease

Secondary Meniere’s syndrome

Title

Secondary Meniere's Syndrome Following Excessive Noise Exposure.

Type of document

Journal Article

Entity Type

Publication

Author(s)	Alex, Anu Lepcha, Anjali Augustine, Ann Mary Philip, Ajay Mammen, Manju Deena
Publication Date	2025-02-01
Abstract	The effects of noise on the vestibular and balance function are under-studied. Studies have demonstrated that like the cochlea, the otolith organs are also sensitive to sound but the exact mechanism is unclear. Both impulse and continuous noise exposure may damage the cochlear and/or vestibular organ and lead to the formation of endolymphatic hydrops. We describe 9 patients who had Meniere's syndrome following excessive noise exposure.Study design: retrospective study.Setting: Tertiary care centre in South India.Subject and methods: Medical records of patients who visited the audio vestibular clinics of a large tertiary care hospital between January 2014 and July 2021 were screened and those diagnosed with Meniere's syndrome following noise exposure were included in the study. Details of clinical presentation, investigations and management were noted.Among 18,844 patients, 342 patients were diagnosed as Meniere's disease and endolymphatic hydrops (primary or secondary) Among these, 9 patients were diagnosed as Meniere's syndrome following excessive noise exposure (prevalence of 2.6% of Meniere's disease). Their vestibular symptoms developed after a time gap of 4 months to 9 years. Seven patients had prolonged occupational noise exposure while two had acoustic trauma. Their Pure Tone Audiogram revealed a flat or a high frequency hearing loss except in 2 patients. These patients responded well to standard treatments for Meniere's disease.Secondary Meniere's syndrome due to excessive noise exposure constitutes about 2.6% of Meniere's disease. These could result from sudden acoustic trauma or prolonged noise exposure and seem to have a good prognosis with standard treatment of Meniere's disease and otoprotective measures. Awareness and recognition of this condition may help improve prognosis.
Affiliation	Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Center, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632004 India. Alice Springs Hospital, The Gap, Australia. Department of ENT, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu India. Department of ENT, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu India. Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu India.
Citation	Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg . 2025 Feb;77(2):814-820. doi: 10.1007/s12070-024-05257-8. Epub 2024 Dec 5.
ISSN	2231-3796
OrcId	0000-0003-1537-8690 0000-0002-0505-6703 0000-0002-4179-528X 0000-0002-8753-0121
Pubmed ID	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40065961/?otool=iaurydwlib
Link	https://hdl.handle.net/10137/14181
Subject	Continuous noise Impulse noise Meniere’s disease Secondary Meniere’s syndrome
Title	Secondary Meniere's Syndrome Following Excessive Noise Exposure.
Type of document	Journal Article
Entity Type	Publication

Secondary Meniere's Syndrome Following Excessive Noise Exposure.

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