Elevated interictal plasma CGRP in Meniere's disease: A headache-independent candidate biomarker distinguishing Meniere's disease from vestibular migraine.

Researchers studied whether a blood protein called CGRP can help identify Ménière's disease (MD) from vestibular migraine (VM) and chronic migraine (CM). They collected blood samples from adults with MD, VM, CM, and healthy controls. The study found that CGRP levels were significantly higher in those with MD compared to those with VM and healthy individuals. Specifically, MD patients had an average CGRP level of 75.2 pg/mL, while VM patients had 37.1 pg/mL. This suggests that CGRP could be a useful marker for distinguishing MD from VM. However, CGRP levels in MD were similar to those in CM. Salivary CGRP levels were also measured, but these did not effectively differentiate MD from VM or healthy controls. Overall, the findings indicate that elevated plasma CGRP may help in diagnosing Ménière's disease, offering a potential new avenue for patient assessment and management. Clinical relevance: This research suggests that elevated plasma CGRP may help differentiate Ménière's disease from vestibular migraine, potentially leading to better diagnosis and treatment strategies for patients.