title: Changes in the characteristics of definite Meniere's disease over time in Japan: a long-term survey by the Peripheral Vestibular Disorder Research Committee of Japan, formerly the Meniere's Disease Research Committee of Japan.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of new cases of Meniere's disease (MD) in elderly patients aged 60 years or more was found to have increased over time after correction for age distribution in the overall population. Job- and care-related fatigue may be involved in the recent increase in elderly-onset cases because physical and mental fatigue can induce onset of the disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Changes over time in the epidemiologic characteristics of MD in Japan were analyzed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1975 and 2006, four nationwide, multi-center surveys of MD were conducted by the Meniere's Disease Research Committee of Japan (1975-1976) and the Peripheral Vestibular Disorders Research Committee of Japan (1982-1984, 1990, and 2001-2006). Information was collected by the committee members on a total of 1368 de novo cases of definite MD, 520 reported in the first survey, 290 in the second survey, 148 in the third survey, and 410 in the fourth survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clear changes were seen over time in the population-adjusted sex distribution of the disease and population-adjusted age at onset. The number of definite MD cases in females increased over time relative to the number of cases in males. The proportion of cases in which onset occurred at 60 years of age or more increased over time when the number of cases in each age group was adjusted for changes in age distribution of the population over time. From the time of the third survey, there was a slight increase in the proportion of cases with bilateral involvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University of Toyama, Sugitani, Toyama, Japan. hshojaku@med.u-toyama.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shojaku
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Taizo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ikezono
authors.forename: Juichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Masaya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takumida
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Nobuhiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Furuya
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamashita
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008575:Meniere Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult