title: Menière's disease and autoimmunity: clinical study and survey.
abstract: In order to clarify whether autoimmune mechanisms form part of the etiopathogenesis of Meniere's disease, sera and endolymphatic sac tissues from 30 patients with Meniere's disease were analyzed according to the clinical criteria for autoimmune diseases stated by Mackay & Burnet. Several cases showed hyper gamma-globulinemia, antibody elevation to Type II collagen in the serum and endolymph, positive staining to immunoglobulins and C3 or infiltration of immuno-competent cells in the endolymphatic sac, good response to prednisolone and combination with systemic immune disorders. Other examinations showed a significant elevation of OKT 4/8 ratio and a decrease of OKT8-positive cells, and elevated levels of circulating immune complex and antiviral antibody titers. It is suggested that certain cases of Meniere's disease may have an altered immunological background, which may be attributed to an autoimmune mechanism dependent on humoral and/or cellular responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tomoda
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuka
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iwai
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kumazawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000032:analysis; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D003094:Collagen / Q000276:immunology; D004710:Endolymph / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006942:Hypergammaglobulinemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008575:Meniere Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D001323:Autoantibodies; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D003094:Collagen; D011239:Prednisolone