http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26760200 Ear Hear. 2016 Jan 12. [Epub ahead of print] The Cost of Ménière's Disease: A Novel Multisource Approach. Tyrrell J1, Whinney DJ, Taylor T. Author information 11European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro Campus, Truro, United Kingdom; and 2Department of ENT Surgery, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, United Kingdom. Abstract OBJECTIVES: To estimate the annual cost of Ménière's disease and the cost per person in the UK population and to investigate the direct and indirect costs of the condition. DESIGN: The authors utilized a multidata approach to provide the first estimate of the cost of Ménière's. Data from the UK Biobank (a study of 500,000 individuals collected between 2007 and 2012), the Hospital Episode Statistics (data on all hospital admissions in England from 2008 to 2012) and the UK Ménière's Society (2014) were used to estimate the cost of Ménière's. Cases were self-reported in the UK Biobank and UK Ménière's Society, within the Hospital Episode Statistics cases were clinician diagnosed. The authors estimated the direct and indirect costs of the condition, using count data to represent numbers of individuals reporting specific treatments, operations etc. and basic statistical analyses (χ tests, linear and logistic regression) to compare cases and controls in the UK Biobank. RESULTS: Ménière's was estimated to cost between £541.30 million and £608.70 million annually (equivalent to US $829.9 to $934.2 million), equating to £3,341 to £3,757 ($5112 to $5748) per person per annum. The indirect costs were substantial, with loss of earnings contributing to over £400 million per annum. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, the authors were able to estimate the economic burden of Ménière's disease. In the UK, the annual cost of this condition is substantial. Further research is required to develop cost-effective treatments and management strategies for Ménière's to reduce the economic burden of the disease. These findings should be interpreted with caution due to the uncertainties inherent in the analysis.
Sadly in the US insurance companies would simply react to this by saying that they won't pay for emergency room services for Meniere's. :-[
And what, per chance, can happen for Meniere's in an emergency room; that can't happen in a visit to a regular doctor? I've never seen a report indicating the ER docs have anything they can contribute to Meniere's treatment. Go to the ER during a Meniere's vertigo attack and the ER people will do all the normal and useful assessments, to determine the patient isn't undergoing a stroke or other catastrophic incident. Just as soon as it's determined there there is no cerebral hemorrhaging or other cardiovascular events, the patient may given a steroid sedative to calm things down, and wheeled off to a hospital room where he or she will be wired to monitors for several hours or more, until the vertigo passes on its own. At the end, the physicians will be glad it wasn't a stroke or heart attack, and will send the patient home telling him or her to see an ENT. For Meniere's, there is nothing magical that can happen in an ER department (and sadly, also in so many GP and ENT offices, where antiherpetic therapy is unknown or disregarded). --John of Ohio
what might be positive about this study, is when it says: CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, the authors were able to estimate the economic burden of Ménière's disease. In the UK, the annual cost of this condition is substantial. Further research is required to develop cost-effective treatments and management strategies for Ménière's to reduce the economic burden of the disease. Since we spend so much maybe that will entice researchers and big pharma to take us seriously since it can be profitable for them.
Wow, vicki, another promising article. Thanks. What an asset you are! John of Ohio, I don't think your assessment of a trip to the ER is entirely accurate. They can stop the vertigo with a benzo and rehydrate the patient after hours of vomiting. A patient will be seen and dealt with in the ER much sooner than in a doctor's office. I haven't gone to the ER as I choose to ride it out in my home, but I know if I needed medical attention due to an hours long vertigo attack I would not be able to get immediate access in my doctor's office.
Thanks Maggie and I agree with you I have heard many going to ER and they do stop the vertigo and rehydrate.
Maggie, Your points are true, and well-taken. I didn't intend to diminish the authentic usefulness of an ER visit in a severe Meniere's attack. My point was (not well-stated) that there are no cures or useful continuing treatments for Meniere's in an ER department. Attention to severe acute symptoms, yes. But the patient has no reduced chances of subsequent attacks after an ER visit. ER medicine will not offer the chronic relief we seek (whether insurance pays for the ER visit or not). --John of Ohio
I agree with you John that you won't get chronic relief from an ER visit, but it still serves the patient who needs immediate attention. I think we are on the same page.☺
While I have not ended up in the ER, I do know a couple of people that have this thing and when they experienced a vertigo attack at work their place of business mandates the hospital visit - not sure if they are taken via ambulance or driven by a co-worker. I do think that the ER has the ability with available drugs to stop the attack much more quickly and of course address any hydration issues if need be.
That is true sometimes people want you to go to the ER because they are scared. I was sitting on the side of the road due to a vertigo attack one day and the construction workers called the police on me and with them came the fire department. Who all believed that I was having a reaction to the mass amount of hullucinegens I had inhaled while driving. They promptly wanted to test me for drugs and send me to the hospital. After much debate i convinced them I was not high and to drive my car with me in the back seat to the fire station. There I relaxed in my backseat and then ofcourse threw up all over my clothes and in there parking lot next to the fire truck. I changed in my backseat and went and apologized by making a mess in their parking lot and drove home.......lol. But I have still to this day avoided going to the ER. But I am sure that having public service attending my vertigo attack was expensive on its own.
I called 911 the first few times that I had severe vertigo and vomiting. I wound up on the floor and couldn't get up, crawled with my eyes closed to the phone by my bed and called them, and of course they took me to ER. After I was diagnosed with Menieres I had to call 911 again due to falling. They insisted I go to ER. I, in turn, insisted there was nothing ER could do, just help me get in bed and leave me there and the worst would dissipate after several hours. Not satisfied with that, one of the men went next door to my neighbor and got my son's phone number, called him and insisted that he convince me to go with them. They were nonplussed when son told them to do what I said.