Prevalence and preferred medication for vestibular migraine in Menière’s disease: a multicenter retrospective cohort study in Korea

Objectives: The aim of this study is to categorize headaches associated with definite Menière’s disease (MD) according to diagnostic criteria, to determine their prevalence, and to investigate the preferred medication across participating centers.Methods: Patients diagnosed with definite MD at 17 university hospitals in otolaryngology or neurology departments in Korea between January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 were retrospectively included. Data on the presence of accompanying vestibular migraine (VM), migraine or non-migraine headaches, and clinical information were collected. A survey was conducted to assess preferences for treatment drugs for vertigo and headache control in MD patients with headache.Results: A total of 435 definite MD patients were included, with a mean age of 57.0±14.9 years. Among them, 135 (31.0%) had accompanying headaches, of whom 48 (11.0% of all definite MD patients) could be diagnosed with VM. The prevalence of comorbid VM (definite and probable) was significantly higher in females (41 of 288, 14.2%) than in males (7 of 147, 4.8%) (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of comorbid VM between unilateral and bilateral MD patients (10.8% and 13.6%, respectively) (p > 0.05). Benzodiazepines, antihistamines, and antiemetics were mainly preferred for acute vertigo control, while nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, and triptans were preferred for acute headache control, and topiramate, propranolol, and calcium channel blockers were mainly preferred for headache prevention.Conclusions: VM is not uncommon in patients with definite MD in Korea. Further research is needed to understand the differences in headache prevalence and preferred medications across different centers.