Extended phenotype and clinical subgroups in unilateral Meniere disease: a cross-sectional study with cluster analysis

Abstract

Objectives

To define clinical subgroups by cluster analysis in patients with unilateral Meniere disease (MD) and to compare them with the clinical subgroups found in bilateral MD.

Design

a cross-sectional study with a two-step cluster analysis.

Settings

a tertiary referral multicenter study.

Participants

Nine hundred eighty-eight adult patients with unilateral MD. Main outcome measures: best predictors to define clinical subgroups with potential different etiologies.

Results

We established five clusters in unilateral MD. Group 1 is the most frequently found, includes 53% of patients, and it is defined as the sporadic, classic MD without migraine and without autoimmune disorder (AD). Group 2 is found in 8% of patients, and it is defined by hearing loss, which antedates the vertigo episodes by months or years (delayed MD), without migraine or AD in most of cases. Group 3 involves 13% of patients, and it is considered familial MD, while group 4, which includes 15% of patients, is linked to the presence of migraine in all cases. Group 5 is found in 11% of patients and is defined by a comorbid AD. We found significant differences in the distribution of AD in clusters 3, 4 and 5 between patients with uni and bilateral MD.

Conclusions

Cluster analysis defines clinical subgroups in MD and it extends the phenotype beyond audiovestibular symptoms. This classification will help to improve the phenotyping in MD and facilitate the selection of patients for randomized clinical trials.

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