Efficacy of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors in Meniere’s Disease Treatment

Background: Meniere’s disease (MD) is a inner ear disease, where its pathophysiology remains unclear, despite the availability of various treatment options, managing symptoms effectively remains a challenge, recently, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) had garnered attention. Objectives: To assess the efficacy of SSRIs in managing the symptoms of MD. Patients and Methods: Observational studies were conducted on 46 adults’ patients, where diagnosed with MD, which were assessed by oto-neurologic examination, audiological tests, and inner ear magnetic resonance imagining (MRI), patients were received SSRI (sertraline), then analyzed for their impact on vertigo, tinnitus, and hearing loss. Data were extracted and pooled to assess the therapeutic outcomes associated with SSRI, treatment in MD. Results: Female (58.69%), male (41.31%), mean age was 38.451 ± 1.74 standard deviation (SD), duration of the disease 36.27 ± 1.68 SD months, (100%) was unilateral, overall improvement of average hearing threshold (89.13%) being; at a low frequency (91.30%), mean dizziness handicap inventory score before treatment 57.32 ± 10.48 SD, dropped to 13.47 ± 9.86 after treatment, the mean tinnitus handicap inventory score 69.79 ± 1.45 SD before treatment, then it became 29.57 ± 1.21 SD at 6 months after treatment, normal inner ear MRI (100%). Conclusions: SSRIs significantly reduce frequency, and vertigo attacks, tinnitus, hearing loss, so, it a promising adjunctive in MD management.