メニエール病の受診実態

STATISTICAL OBSERVATION OF MÉNIÈRE'S DISEASE

　I．はじめに

　著者らのめまい患者の統計^3）4）では，ここ数年来，メニエール病は年々減少し，代わつてめまい・耳鳴・難聴のtriadの揃わない迷路性眩暈症^3）4）（後述のメニエール病疑い例に相当する），脳血管循環障害，原因不明の眩暈症が多くなつてきた。

　そこで耳科医にとつて，幾多の研究課題を生んだメニエール病の発生頻度の実態を知るため，メニエール病が1974年6月に，厚生省難病特定疾患（班長，渡辺勈教授）に指定されたのを機会に，内藤^7）の報告したメニエール病の日本国内および外国のアンケート調査結果と大阪大学病院の統計についてまとめたので報告する。

　In order to determine the frequency with which Ménière's disease may occur the authors sent questionaires to 74 institutions in Japan in the years 1970 and '71 and to 187 institutions abroad in 1971, in addition to the statistics acquired at the Osaka University Hospital during the years 1934 to 1974.

　The ratio of the occurrence of Ménière's disease to that of total number of patients visiting the ENT Department was 0.6% in this country and 0.5% abroad. It was revealed that the disease is rarely found in colder areas while it was more prevalent in the warmer ones, and, from foreign statistics the disease appeared to be uncommonly found in the developing countries but more common in the developed ones.

　According to the statistics for the past 40 years from Osaka University Hospital, the occurrence of Ménière's disease was rather rare before the World War II, but it inrceased after the war, reaching a peak in the later fifties and early sixties. Recently however, it has a tendency to be decreased. In sexual difference the males appear to suffer more than females but recently this difference appeared to have disappeared.