Analysis of cortisol and other stress-related hormones in patients
with Ménière's disease.
van Cruijsen N, Dullaart RP, Wit HP, Albers FW.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical Centre
Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
n.van.cruij...@kno.umcg.nl OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cortisol and catecholamine levels in
patients with Ménière's disease. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, controlled
study. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Thirty patients with
Ménière's disease and 18 healthy controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Serum
and saliva cortisol, serum cortisol after the dexamethasone suppression
test, urine free cortisol, and urine catecholamines. RESULTS: The serum
and saliva cortisol levels were higher in Ménière's patients compared
with their control group: 440 +/- 127 (n = 28) versus 366 +/- 90
(nmol/L) (n = 18) and 17.2 +/- 6.1 (n = 18) versus 11.6 +/- 4.6 (nmol/L)
(n = 9), respectively. Both differences were significant (p < 0.05).
There were no dissimilarities in urine cortisol or urine catecholamines
for either group. Twenty-eight Ménière's patients were divided into two
subgroups, namely, high- and low-cortisol groups, using a serum cortisol
level cutoff point of 465 nmol/L (median). The total Ménière's disease
time and the duration of tinnitus tended to be longer in the
high-cortisol group (p = 0.07, two-tailed). The total Ménière's disease
time was 13.5 +/- 9.9 years in the high-cortisol group and 7.1 +/- 7.4
years in the low-cortisol group (n = 14 for both). The subgroups were
matched for age, gender, and unilaterally or bilaterally affected ears.
CONCLUSION: Patients with Ménière's disease have higher serum cortisol
levels. It is suggested that these higher cortisol levels are rather the
result than the cause of this chronic disease, because patients affected
longer seem to have higher cortisol levels. The exact impact of these
higher cortisol levels on the inner ear and endolymph homeostasis is yet
unknown.
PMID: 16272945 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]