Ménière's Syndrome Caused by Allergy

The symptom complex known as Meniere's syndrome has been correctly attributed, I believe, to a lesion involving the vestibular nerve apparatus. To produce this syndrome, the lesion may involve either the labyrinth or peripheral end-organ, the primary neuron or vestibular nerve proper or its tracts, or the central nuclei in the medulla or midbrain. Several different primary causes, such as acute infectious diseases, syphilis, hemorrhage into the labyrinth, tumors and abscesses, and traumatic injuries, may result in a lesion that can have this effect. I have observed the syndrome in two patients with severe allergy in whom no other adequate cause for the illness was found. Since, in each case, relief was obtained both by the use of epinephrin and by avoidance of substances to which the patients were sensitive, and since the symptoms were reproduced during well periods by the use of foods to which they were hypersensitive, it