A newly recognized etiology of Meniére's syndrome. A preliminary report.

Many etiologic agents for Meniére's syndrome have been proposed, suggesting a heterogeneous nature for this disorder. Dissimilar etiologies could, of course, yield disparate responses to uniform treatment. Although electrocochleography has provided us with some objective diagnostic criteria, the actual identification of Meniére's syndrome rests predominantly on clinical criteria. Several of our patients with dysautonomia presented with classical symptoms of Meniére's syndrome. Twenty-five of these patients were treated with increased fluid and sodium intake and flurocortisone, a mineralcorticoid agent. Our favorable results have led us to postulate a heretofore unrecognized etiology for Meniére's syndrome, and speculate on some of the previously reported responses of Meniére's syndrome to corticosteroid treatment.