MENIERE'S SYNDROME

Between 50 and 95 per cent of patients with Meniere's syndrome developed hearing loss, a doctor said last night.

But with drugs and proper treatment they could live with the condition, said the ear expert from the Royal National Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital in London.

'It does make people exhausted, though, because of the drugs they have to take,' he said.

Neurologist Dr Huang Chen-ya, a former Democratic Party legislator, said the syndrome caused pressure in the ear and could result in severe vertigo, ringing in the ear, nausea and vomiting.

'It is a benign disease and can be due to a virus or sometimes it may be due to diabetes or blood pressure problems,' Dr Huang said.