title: The physiologic role of corticosteroids in Ménière's disease.
abstract: Multiple options exist to manage Ménière's disease (MD), ranging from dietary modifications to ablative surgery. Corticosteroids (CS) have long been used to manage MD, but their exact mechanism for disease alleviation is relatively uncertain. Glucocorticoid receptors have been shown to exist in the human inner ear and several studies propose they influence mechanisms of blood flow, fluid regulation, and ion regulation, with recent evidence describing the latter two. Corticosteroids have been shown to upregulate aquaporins and ion channels in the inner ear, and may have a positive effect on labyrinthine blood flow. Additionally, processes have been described in genomic and non-genomic manners. This text will review the literature on the actions of CS on the inner ear relevant to MD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Zachary
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Farhood
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA. Electronic address: lambertp@musc.edu.
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Lambert
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008575:Meniere Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones