Meniere’s Disease

Meniere’s Disease – Disorder Affecting the Inner Ear

Meniere’s disease is a rare long term progressive disorder which affects the inner ear with symptoms causing vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss as well as a feeling of pressure deep within the ear.People suffering from this ailment tend to experience these symptoms with sudden attacks which could last for around two to three hours though it also take a day or more for the symptoms to go away completely.

Meniere’s disease usually progresses through various stages where, in the initial stage, several people tend to have sudden and unpredictable attacks of vertigo together with nausea, vomiting as well as dizziness. At the later stage, the occurrence of vertigo tend to reduce and at times stops altogether within five to ten years though the tinnitus and the hearing loss becomes worse over a period of time and may be left with a permanent balance problems.

Cause of this ailment is unknown but several factors are presumed to be responsible for the development of these conditions like increased pressure of the fluid in the endolymphatic sac, an allergic factor which damages the inner ear or other unknown factors.

Unpredictable & Distress Illness

Meniere’s disease is an unpredictable and a distress illness and as it progresses and the vertigo tends to get less severe, there may be instances of imbalance which could be very uncomfortable in moving around with ease. Usually it is only one ear which may get affected but around fifty percent of the people may tend to develop the condition in both their ears.

Though there is no absolute cure for Meniere’s disease, it can be treated to control the symptoms which includes - balance training (vestibular rehabilitation), medication to treat the symptoms and prevent attacks, changes made in their diet with low salt diet, relaxation techniques and surgery in some severe cases. Several surgical procedures are used to treat people based on the condition of their symptoms, if only one ear or both ears are affected.

The effectiveness of some surgical treatment is uncertain though progress in researches continues with regards to this issue. Some suffering from this disease could also notice that the condition may have a significant impact on their mental state of mind and the unpredictable condition of the attacks and restrictions could lead to feelings of anxiety as well as depression.

Symptoms of Ailment

The symptoms of vertigo, hearing loss and tinnitus may also occur in other illness too and may be needed to be excluded by tests for instance; blood test and MRI scan, before a final diagnosis is made. Since this disease is symptomatic, treatment may differ from one individual to another and may include medication, diet and lifestyle changes, vestibular rehabilitation, tinnitus management, hearing aids as well as counselling.

For four out of five individuals, non-surgical treatment could be sufficient in controlling the symptoms of this ailment though if vertigo seems to be a problem, surgical procedure could be beneficial to them. The physician could offer the best suitable advice needed depending on the symptoms. Besides the physician, a number of support groups like the Meniere’s Society could also provide assistance and guidance when needed.