Correlation between auditory-vestibular functions and estrogen levels in postmenopausal patients with Meniere's disease

Background: To investigate auditory and vestibular functions, estrogen levels, and its clinical correlation in postmenopausal females with Meniere's disease (MD).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the serum estradiol (E2) levels and the auditory and vestibular functions measured by auditory brainstem response (ABR) to high click rate, pure-tone audiometry (PTA), and caloric test on postmenopausal women who suffered from MD or not at the Specialist Clinic of Vertigo, Shandong Provincial Hospital, during September 2010 to October 2014.

Results: A total of 76 postmenopausal patients with MD and 50 healthy postmenopausal controls were included. The patients with MD had lower estrogen levels (22.50 ± 16.66 pg/mL vs 30.69 ± 18.59 pg/mL, P = 0.011), longer I-V interpeak latency of ABR (left 0.22 ± 0.16 mseconds vs 0.18 ± 0.10 mseconds, P = 0.118; right 0.24 ± 0.13 mseconds vs 0.17 ± 0.09 mseconds, P = 0.001), and higher unilateral weakness (UW) value (P < 0.001) in comparison with the controls. The mean pure-tone thresholds of at the speech frequency (500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz, and 3 kHz) were significantly elevated in patients with MD than those in the controls (left P < 0.001, right P < 0.01). The estradiol level of patients with MD was correlated with ABR latency (left r = -0.229, P < 0.05; right r = -0.220, P < 0.05) and UW value (r = -0.328, P < 0.05), but not with mean pure-tone threshold.

Conclusions: Estrogen levels correlated with auditory and vestibular function in postmenopausal patients with MD. Low estrogen may be involved in the microcirculatory disturbance of the inner ear, affecting the occurrence and development of MD.