What is Meniere’s Disease?
As a disorder of the inner ear, which is responsible for both hearing and sense of balance, Meniere’s disease can cause a variety of complications, such as dizziness and even hearing loss. More often than not, Meniere’s disease will only affect one ear.
The exact cause of this disorder is unknown, but symptoms of the disease seem to be caused by a buildup of fluid in the Eustachian tubes of the inner ear. More than likely, there are a combination of factors that contribute to this disorder. Some of these potential factors include blockage because of an anatomical abnormality, a viral infection, allergies, genetic predispositions, and a dysfunctional immune response.
While Meniere’s disease is chronic, with early treatment and changes in lifestyle, symptoms can subside after a few years. Also, people with Meniere’s disease typically have episodes, and there can be periods of time where the person with the disease doesn’t experience any symptoms.
Both men and women can get Meniere’s disease at any age, but it most often occurs in people who are between the ages of 40 and 60, and women are statistically more likely to get it than men. Meniere’s disease is fairly uncommon, with about 615,000 people in the U.S. who have the disorder.
It can be somewhat difficult to diagnose because the symptoms aren’t completely uniform across every patient and because there are other inner ear disorders that produce similar symptoms. There’s also no standardized test that can definitely diagnose the disorder.
Symptoms of Meniere’s Disease
One of the most common symptoms of this disorder is a feeling of vertigo, which is caused by the fluid buildup. Episodes of the feeling of spinning can last for 20 minutes or even up to 24 hours. Typically, vertigo comes on suddenly and can cause a variety of other symptoms.
Hearing loss is also a common symptom. The hearing loss usually comes and goes when a person first starts feeling vertigo and other related symptoms. Eventually, hearing loss can be permanent, but people can also avoid this consequence if they seek early treatment.
Tinnitus, which is the experience of sounds when there isn’t external stimulus creating the sounds, is another common symptom. Some of the most common sounds that people hear when they have tinnitus are ringing, whistling, buzzing, hissing, and roaring. These sounds will come and go with each episode, usually occurring when there’s an episode of vertigo.
Many people with Meniere’s disease will also have a feeling of fullness in the affected ear. Pressure is another common feeling that people experience because of the buildup of fluid in the ear.
Because Meniere’s disease causes feelings of vertigo and because it comes on so suddenly, tiredness and stress are common symptoms. These symptoms can also lead to anxiety and depression when they go untreated for long enough. The vertigo can also cause nausea, vomiting, and sweating.
Treatments for Meniere’s Disease
Since there isn’t a single known cause of Meniere’s disease, there also isn’t a known cure. But there are ways that some of the symptoms can be alleviated. To help lessen the feelings of vertigo, a doctor can prescribe motion sickness medications. Some of the most common ones are meclizine and diazepam. These types of drugs can reduce the spinning sensations and the urge to vomit.
Otherwise, a doctor might simply prescribe anti-nausea medications that can further control nausea when a person is having an episode of vertigo that makes them feel nauseous.
There are also diuretics that can reduce the fluid retention in the ear, and a doctor might also tell the patient to limit their salt intake. While these treatments can’t cure Meniere’s disease, they can often reduce the frequency and severity of the symptoms.
Vestibular rehabilitation is another treatment that can help restore equilibrium. And although it’s a fairly new type of treatment, positive pressure therapy has been shown to be effective in some studies but not in all. In this treatment, pressure is applied to the middle ear with a Meniatte pulse generator at home. The pressure is meant to reduce the fluid buildup.
If a non-invasive treatment is ineffective, surgery might be an option. To help with drainage and decrease the amount of fluid that’s produced, a surgeon can perform an endolymphatic sac procedure.
Finally, if treatment didn’t prevent hearing loss or the patient didn’t seek treatment soon enough, some people might need to use a hearing aid to restore function.
