Quality of Life of Patients with Meniere’s Disease in Alexandria - Egypt

Background: Meniere's disease is a rare disorder of the inner ear that causes dizziness, vertigo and balance problems. Some people have several attacks of Meniere’s disease in a short period of time, while other people only have an attack every few months or years. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life of patients with Meniere’s disease. Subjects and Method: Setting: The study was carried out in ear, nose, and throat (ENT) department at Alexandria Main University Hospital, Egypt. Subjects: The study subjects comprised a convenience sample of 100 adults of Meniere’s disease’ patients. Tools: Two tools were used: Tool I: Socio-demographic and Clinical Data Structured Interview Schedule, and Tool II: Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) of Meniere’s disease. Results: The mean age of the studied patient was 43.38±7.45 years. The majority of them were unemployed, coming from rural area and more than half of them had sufficient monthly income (65, 65 & 54%) respectively. Additionally, half of the studied patients (50%) had severe degree of Meniere’s disease and the majority of them had overall poor quality of life. Highly statistically significant relations between patient's physical, psychological as well as environmental domains and the severity of disease was detected. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant relation between quality of life domains of the studied patients and all of their sociodemographic characteristics. Conclusion: Meniere’s disease had a significant negative impact on the majority of patients 'quality of life. Accordingly, conducting a comprehensive assessment of patients' quality of life among patients with MD is necessary to determine the degree of suffering; this will help the nurses to predict their functional status and the effect of MD on their quality of life.