Stress and symptoms of Menière's disease: a time-series analysis

Abstract

Meniere's disease is an inner ear disease in which the symptom cluster of hearing loss, tinnitus, and dizziness is found along with attacks of vertigo and nausea. In this study, 20 subjects diagnosed with Meniere's disease completed daily measures of stress and symptoms during periods ranging between 45 and 351 days (M = 193.5). Data were analyzed by means of time-series analysis (ARIMA), and the temporal associations were investigated by lagged correlations. The results showed concurrent (same day) associations between stress and symptoms, but individual differences were found regarding which symptoms were associated with stress. Although stress is linked with symptom perception, this study does not support the role of stress as a precursor of symptoms in Meniere's disease.