logcabinmama Posted January 6, 2006 Share Posted January 6, 2006 Ménière's Disease On this page: What causes Ménière's disease? What are the symptoms of Ménière's disease? How is Ménière's disease diagnosed? How is Ménière's disease treated? What research is being done? Where can I get additional information? Ménière's Disease is an abnormality of the inner ear causing a host of symptoms, including vertigo or severe dizziness, tinnitus or a roaring sound in the ears, fluctuating hearing loss, and the sensation of pressure or pain in the affected ear. The disorder usually affects only one ear and is a common cause of hearing loss. Named after French physician Prosper Ménière who first described the syndrome in 1861. Top What causes Ménière's disease? The symptoms of Ménière's disease are associated with a change in fluid volume within a portion of the inner ear known as the labyrinth. The labyrinth has two parts: the bony labyrinth and the membranous labyrinth. The membranous labyrinth, which is encased by bone, is necessary for hearing and balance and is filled with a fluid called endolymph. When your head moves, endolymph moves, causing nerve receptors in the membranous labyrinth to send signals to the brain about the body's motion. An increase in endolymph, however, can cause the membranous labyrinth to balloon or dilate, a condition known as endolymphatic hydrops. Many experts on Ménière's disease think that a rupture of the membranous labyrinth allows the endolymph to mix with perilymph, another inner ear fluid that occupies the space between the membranous labyrinth and the bony inner ear. This mixing, scientists believe, can cause the symptoms of Ménière's disease. Scientists are investigating several possible causes of the disease, including environmental factors, such as noise pollution and viral infections, as well as biological factors. Top What are the symptoms of Ménière's disease? The symptoms of Ménière's disease occur suddenly and can arise daily or as infrequently as once a year. Vertigo, often the most debilitating symptom of Ménière's disease, typically involves a whirling dizziness that forces the sufferer to lie down. Vertigo attacks can lead to severe nausea, vomiting, and sweating and often come with little or no warning. Some individuals with Ménière's disease have attacks that start with tinnitus (ear noises), a loss of hearing, or a full feeling or pressure in the affected ear. It is important to remember that all of these symptoms are unpredictable. Typically, the attack is characterized by a combination of vertigo, tinnitus, and hearing loss lasting several hours. People experience these discomforts at varying frequencies, durations, and intensities. Some may feel slight vertigo a few times a year. Others may be occasionally disturbed by intense, uncontrollable tinnitus while sleeping. Ménière's disease sufferers may also notice a hearing loss and feel unsteady all day long for prolonged periods. Other occasional symptoms of Ménière's disease include headaches, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea. A person's hearing tends to recover between attacks but over time becomes worse. Top How is Ménière's disease diagnosed? Based on a recent study, NIDCD estimates that there are currently approximately 615,000 individuals with diagnosed Ménière's disease in the United States and 45,500 newly diagnosed cases each year. Proper diagnosis of Ménière's disease entails several procedures, including a medical history interview and a physical examination by a physician, hearing and balance tests, and medical imaging with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Accurate measurement and characterization of hearing loss are of critical importance in the diagnosis of Ménière's disease. Through the use of several types of hearing tests, physicians can characterize hearing loss as being sensory, arising from the inner ear, or neural, arising from the hearing nerve. Recording the auditory brain stem response, which measures electrical activity in the hearing nerve and brain stem, is useful in differentiating between these two types of hearing loss. Electrocochleography, recording the electrical activity of the inner ear in response to sound, helps confirm the diagnosis. To test the vestibular or balance system, physicians irrigate the ears with warm and cool water or air. This procedure, known as caloric testing, results in nystagmus, rapid eye movements that can help a physician analyze a balance disorder. Since tumor growth can produce symptoms similar to Ménière's disease, an MRI is a useful test to determine whether a tumor is causing the patient's vertigo and hearing loss. Top How is Ménière's disease treated? There is no cure for Ménière's disease. However, the symptoms of the disease are often controlled successfully by reducing the body’s retention of fluids through dietary changes (such as a low-salt or salt-free diet and no caffeine or alcohol) or medication. Changes in medications that either control allergies or improve blood circulation in the inner ear may help. Eliminating tobacco use and reducing stress levels are more ways some people can lessen the severity of their symptoms. Different surgical procedures have been advocated for patients with persistent, debilitating vertigo from Ménière's disease. Labyrinthectomy (removal of the inner ear sense organ) can effectively control vertigo, but sacrifices hearing and is reserved for patients with nonfunctional hearing in the affected ear. Vestibular neurectomy, selectively severing a nerve from the affected inner ear organ, usually controls the vertigo while preserving hearing, but carries surgical risks. Recently, the administration of the ototoxic antibiotic, gentamycin directly into the middle ear space has gained popularity worldwide for the control of the vertigo of Ménière's disease. For more information on this, go to: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/balance/meniere.asp ******************************************** I have been having a LOT more dizziness lately and so thought I would look it up on Google. Link to comment
Mother Posted January 6, 2006 Share Posted January 6, 2006 Aw Snowmom. I feel so sorry for you. I too have recurrent dizziness and know exactly how dibilitating and even depressing it can be. I was originally diagnosed with Meniere's disease many many years ago but they have since changed that diagnoses to scar tissue in the inner ear for lack of other concrete evedince for anything else. I did not lose my hearning as they expected which was the reason for eventually ruling out Meniere's. I also have Fibromyalgia which could be another connection with the dizziness. I could not take the medicines they gave me for it but I get some relief, not total but some, with having my neck adjusted at a chiropractor. I get more relief with watching my nutrition and making sure I get plenty of vegetables and fruit each day. Either the vitamin and minerals helps or the antioxidants do or both. As I'm sure you are aware of, you are not alone in having dizziness. It is one of the more prevalant reasons that people visit a doctor. My friend's mom has it and did lose her hearing but is getting along just fine with a cochlear implant. I'm really sorry you or anyone has to have it but it's helpful to know that I'm not the only one who "feels the earth move under her feet" Link to comment
logcabinmama Posted January 7, 2006 Author Share Posted January 7, 2006 I haven't been told I have it, but saw this article and thought it was a good one for the Spa. Link to comment
Mother Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 I'll be thinking about you on Monday and hoping that you find it's just something simple to fix. Perhaps even just an allergy to something in the house. Good luck, Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted January 8, 2006 Share Posted January 8, 2006 do your eyes flutter? do you notice that loud noises set it off? do you notice that bending over and picking things up sets it off? Link to comment
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