The prevalence and incidence in Finland is lower than could be expected from previous international surveys, most of which provide inadequate data for forming a real picture of the epidemiology of Meniere disease. Uniform diagnostic criteria are indispensable for further research.

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Our review of the reported candidate genes shows that the current understanding of the genetic factors contributing to the development of MD is limited, and that the study of its etiology would benefit greatly from more comprehensive genetic knowledge.

PDT, although experimental in the eyelid area because of the small amount of data and the lack of a long-term follow-up, may be considered a promising comprehensive alternative when treating BCC in the eyelid area.

PURPOSE This study compared clinical features, predisposing factors, and concomitant diseases between sporadic and familial Ménière's disease (MD). METHOD Retrospective chart review and postal questionnaire were used. Participants were 250 definite patients with MD (sporadic, n =149; familial, n = 101) who fulfilled the American Academy of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (1995) criteria. RESULTS On average, familial patients were affected 5.6 years earlier than sporadic patients, and they suffered from significantly longer spells of vertigo (p = .007). The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (p = .002) and other autoimmune diseases (p = .046) was higher among the familial patients, who also had more migraine (p = .036) and hearing impairment (p = .002) in their families. CONCLUSION The clinical features of familial and sporadic MD are very similar in general, but some differences do exist. Familial MD patients are affected earlier and suffer from longer spells of vertigo.

The genetic background of Ménière's disease (MD) was studied in one patient with childhood‐onset MD and his grandfather affected with middle age–onset MD. Whole‐exome sequencing was performed and the data were compared to 76 exomes from unrelated subjects without MD. Thirteen rare inner ear expressed variants with pathogenic estimations were observed in the case of childhood‐onset MD. These variants were in genes involved in the formation of cell membranes or the cytoskeleton and in genes participating in cell death or gene‐regulation pathways. His grandfather shared two of the variants: p.Y273N in HMX2 and p.L229F in TMEM55B. HMX2 p.Y273N was considered the more likely candidate for MD, as the gene is known to affect both hearing and vestibular function. The variant in the HMX2 gene may affect inner ear development and structural integrity and thus might predispose to the onset of MD. As there was a significant difference in onset between the patients, an accumulation of defects in several pathways is probably responsible for the exceptionally early onset of the disease, and the genetic etiology of childhood‐onset MD is most likely multifactorial. This is the first molecular genetic study of childhood‐onset MD.

A patient's concomitant diseases, especially diabetes, should be treated effectively because they might affect the progression of MD. Further studies on the effects of concomitant diseases on MD prognosis are needed.