Meniere's Disease: An Inner Ear Disorder

Meniere’s disease is caused due to abnormality in the volume of fluid in the inner ear. It affects the delicate area in the inner ear and a sensation of fullness is felt due to the accumulation of large amount of fluid present in the inner ear, all this can result in different symptoms that can occur suddenly or can be constant as well.

Meniere’s disease affects each person differently; symptoms may not occur all at once. Some may feel mild signals while others may experience many, but after a period of time, hearing loss often becomes permanent.

The main cause of Meniere’s disease is still unidentified. This disease equally affects both, whether the person is male or female. It typically starts between the ages of 30 to 50. This health condition generally affects one ear and just 15 percent of the cases are found in which people with this disorder have lost hearing in both ears.

Causes of Meniere’s Disease

Real cause of Meniere’s disease is not yet known. Abnormality in the amount of fluid is considered as the main cause of this disease. This excess fluid creates a pressure, which in turn affects the delicate structure of inner ear that is responsible for balancing and hearing. As the disease become chronic, these cells become irreparable that results in permanent hearing loss.

Causes for fluid build up:

• Allergy
• Immune disorder
• Migraine problem
• Viral infection
• Genetic predisposition
• Head trauma
• Dietary deficiencies
• Nervous system imbalance

People with Meniere’s disease have a weak inner ear, which makes them more susceptible to factors, such as fatigue and stress that may influence the frequency of attacks.

Symptoms

Different person may experience different symptoms of Meniere’s disease. Some people may face mild symptoms for few weeks that can extend for many years; on the other hand others may face the same constantly. Read through to learn the prominent symptoms of Meniere’s disease.

• It may result in vertigo, which means you will feel like the whole room is spinning. This sensation can be for 10 minutes or last for hours.
• If vertigo is severe, then one may feel nausea and vomiting.
• Dizziness may result in imbalance and one may fall on ground without warning.
• Sweating can also be experienced.
• You may experience loud sounds at a lower pitch as well as at tons of pitches.
• You may face the problem of tinnitus. In this, you may hear the sounds which are not associated with external sound. These sounds can be like ringing, roaring, whistling, buzzing or combination of these noises. These noises are generally at low pitch and may affect normal sounds.
• You may feel some pressure, sensation of fullness in the affected ear. This is due to excess amount of fluid present in the inner ear.

When medical advice is required?

Generally, the attack is so severe that it cannot be ignored. It is advisable to visit your health care professional, in case you are facing:

• severe spinning,
• vomiting,
• hearing unnecessary noises, and
• if you are facing high or low pitch of sounds.

Self care treatment at home

Some tips to minimize the effect of attack at home:

• If you feel that your head is spinning, lie down on a bed in a silent room and close your eyes.
• Try to meditate as prescribed by your health care professional. This will help you reduce the severity of the symptoms.
• If these tips do not work during the attack, then seek other medical help.

Read more articles on Meniere’s Disease.