To analyze the associations of HLA class I and II antigens in patients with Meniere's disease (MD) in southern Spain, 54 patients with definite MD according to the diagnostic scale of the AAO-HNS were compared with 534 normal controls in a prospective multicenter study. We performed a serological typing for A, B, C and DR specificities of the major histocompatibility complex and allele-specific amplification for HLA-DRB1. No differences were found in the distribution of class I antigens or DR antigens in patients with definite MD when they were compared with the control group. Our results suggest that HLA antigens do not determine an increased susceptibility to develop MD.