Serum Osmolality In Patients With Meniere'S Disease

Abstract

Hyperosmolality in serum was found in 19 of 56 patients with Menière's disease. The cause of the moderately elevated serum osmolality has not yet been identified. The serum sodium and potassium concentrations were within normal limits. The hyperosmolality may indicate that Menière's disease is a disorder afflicting the entire organism. Hyperosmolality alternating with normal osmolality was seen in several patients, a phenomenon which may be in accordance with the general fluctuating character of the disease. The elevation of serum osmolality after the peroral consumption of glycerin in patients with Menière's disease was studied and related to the hearing loss, and no correlation was found.