Good Clinical Approach: Delphi Consensus for the Use of Betahistine in Menière’s Disease

Abstract

Menière’s disease is a disorder of the inner ear that causes vertigo, tinnitus, fullness, and hearing loss. Several pharmacological treatments are available, but none of them has shown significant results. Betahistine has been largely used but its effect on the main symptoms of Menière’s disease remains unclear. In order to improve clinical appropriateness and to reduce the heterogeneity of the therapeutic approaches for Menière’s disease, we proposed a European Consensus Conference on Betahistine’s prescription. A group of European experts in vestibular disorders completed a questionnaire, prepared by opinion leaders, on the use of betahistine in Menière’s disease. The Delphi method was used as an iterative investigation method in order to increase and establish the consensus. While betahistine was considered useful to reduce the number of the vertigo attacks during the intercritical phase of the disease, its use during attacks was considered helpful only when associated with other drugs. Betahistine was not considered useful for preventing hearing loss. The experts support the use of betahistine during the intercritical phase of the disease to reduce the number and severity of vertigo episodes. They also defined the parameters for a good clinical approach to evaluate the efficacy of betahistine treatment for Menière’s disease.