Ikeda M, Watanabe I
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Soka Municipal Hospital, Saitama.
Nihon Jibiinkoka Gakkai Kaiho. 1995 Mar;98(3):380-90. doi: 10.3950/jibiinkoka.98.380.
Twenty-one patients with Ménière's disease over the age of seventy years were classified into two groups. Group I: Eleven patients who had their first vertiginous attack after the age of sixty-nine (nine males, two females). Group II: Ten patients who had a long history of Ménière's disease and had been followed until the age of 72 to 79 years of age (seven males, three females). In Group I there were repeated attacks of vertigo accompanied by fluctuations in hearing in the low and middle tone range, though not so severe or frequent as in the typical active stage of Ménière's disease in younger patients. Most patients in this group were still working as managers of a company or institution. Other patients had been taking care of a sick spouse for several years. In Group II, the patients rarely experienced severe vertiginous attacks, however, hearing became rapidly impaired in most cases after they reached around 70 years of age. Progression of their hearing impairment was so severe that it was considered beyond the loss of acoustic function attributable to physiological aging. The importance of Ménière's disease among the aged is increasing as a result of the rapid increase in the aged population. Based on long-term observations of Ménière's disease, we have concluded that there are at least two clinically different types of disease in the aged, then especially age of onset and the duration of the disease of the each patient must be heeded.
21名年龄超过70岁的梅尼埃病患者被分为两组。第一组：11名在69岁之后首次出现眩晕发作的患者（9名男性，2名女性）。第二组：10名有长期梅尼埃病病史且一直随访至72至79岁的患者（7名男性，3名女性）。在第一组中，眩晕反复发作，伴有中低音调听力波动，不过不如年轻患者典型活动期梅尼埃病那么严重或频繁。该组大多数患者仍担任公司或机构的管理人员。其他患者多年来一直照顾生病的配偶。在第二组中，患者很少经历严重的眩晕发作，然而，大多数患者在70岁左右后听力迅速受损。其听力损害进展非常严重，被认为超出了生理性衰老导致的听觉功能丧失。由于老年人口迅速增加，梅尼埃病在老年人中的重要性日益增加。基于对梅尼埃病的长期观察，我们得出结论，老年人中至少有两种临床不同类型的疾病，因此尤其必须关注每位患者的发病年龄和病程。
