Meniere’s Disease

Meniere’s disease is a disorder of the internal ear that causes incidents in which you feel as if you’re spinning (vertigo), and you have fluctuating hearing loss with a progressive, sequentially constant loss of hearing, sounding in the ear (tinnitus), and seldom a feeling of fullness or strength in your ear. In maximum cases, Meniere’s disease affects only one ear.
Meniere’s disease can occur at any age, but it normally starts between the ages of 20 and 50. It’s estimated a permanent position, but several treatments can help relieve symptoms and reduce the long-term influence on your life.

Meniere’s disease is a condition of the internal ear that causes immediate attacks of:

• feeling like the room is spinning around you (vertigo)
• a ringing sound inside the ear (tinnitus)
• ear pressure felt deep inside the ear
• hearing loss

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of Meniere’s syndrome include:

Recurring episodes of vertigo: You have a spinning response that begins and ends automatically. Episodes of vertigo happen without notice and normally last 20 seconds to various times, but not more than 24 hours. Critical dizziness can cause illness and vomiting.

Hearing loss: Hearing loss in Meniere’s disease may occur and go, unusually early on. Ultimately, most people have some persistent hearing loss.

Ringing in the ear (tinnitus): Tinnitus is the perception of a ringing, sounding, shouting, whistling or buzzing noise in your ear.

Feeling of saturation in the ear: People with Meniere’s disease usually believe pressure in the affected ears or on the side of their heads.

Causes

The cause of Meniere’s disease isn’t understood. One popular theory that hasn’t been proved is that Meniere’s disease appears to be the result of the irregular amount of fluid in the inner ear. This often shows on autopsies, but it’s not obvious that it causes the episodes.

Factors that affect the fluid, which might provide to Meniere’s disease, include:

• Unusual fluid waste, perhaps because of a blockage or anatomic abnormality
• Abnormal immune response
• Allergies
• Viral infection
• Genetic predisposition
• Head injury
• Migraines

Complications

The unpredictable episodes of vertigo and the prospect of permanent hearing loss can be the most stressful problems of Meniere’s disease. The disease can interrupt your life and cause weakness, painful pressure, depression and stress.