You wake up in the middle of the night from a sound sleep with a ringing in your ears. It is so loud you can hardly stand it. An hour later, all is quiet again and you forget all about it.
However, as time goes by you have more incidents or vertigo during all different hours of the day and night. The ringing in your ears comes and goes sometimes only occurring for short periods of time, other times lasting all day. You have also begun having hearing difficulties that seem to come and go as well.
You begin to wonder if you could have an ear infection or if there is something seriously wrong with you and decide to visit your doctor. After taking a history and giving you a physical exam he tells you that he wants to do some more tests to rule out the possibility of Meniere’s disease.
You have never heard of this disease and you find yourself asking what is Meniere’s disease and how could you have possibly gotten it?
Meniere’s Disease
Although the name Meniere’s disease sounds frightening and it is a chronic condition it is usually not fatal. It is a condition that occurs due to a change of fluid volume in a portion of the inner ear called the membranous labyrinth. This part of the inner ear is filled with a fluid called endolymph. An increase in this fluid can cause the membranous labyrinth to dilate, causing pressure in the ear.
Scientist who have studied Meniere’s disease believe that a rupture occurs in the membranous labyrinth causing the fluid to mix with another fluid called perilymph that is found in the space between the boney inner ear and the membranous labyrinth and that this causes the symptoms of Meniere’s disease.
Scientists aren’t sure what causes the rupture of the membranous labyrinth but, they are looking into a variety of different things they feel cause such a rupture including such things as noise pollution and infections.
It is believed that Meniere’s disease affects 1 in every thousand people and that while it can affect anyone of any age most sufferers are in their 40′s and 50′s when symptoms first occur.
Symptoms Of Meniere’s Disease
Miniere’s disease can vary in severity and symptoms from person to person. In one person it can be little more than a mild annoyance while in another it can create a lifelong disability. It is difficult to say what symptoms may occur in what person but, some of the symptoms that may indicate Meniere’s disease are:
* Dizziness or Vertigo. In many cases this dizziness can be quite severe causing a person to have to lie down immediately or they will fall. It can be accompanied by nausea which is a side effect of the vertigo and not part of the Meniere’s disease.
* Fluctuating and progressive hearing loss in one or both ears. Between episodes hearing may seem to return but as the disease progresses the hearing loss becomes more and more pronounced.
* Tinnitus in one or both ears. This too may often come and go.
* Pressure in one or both ears
* sensitivity to noise
* headaches
Symptoms can appear suddenly and may be experienced daily or as little as once or twice a year. Early symptoms may include mild to severe dizziness and tinnitus that wakes you in the middle of the night.
How Meniere’s Disease Is Diagnosed
There are a number of procedures and tests that need to be undertaken in order to diagnosis Meneire’s disease. These include:
* A complete medical history including a list of all symptoms, how often you have them and their severity
* A through medical exam
* Hearing and balance tests
* MRI
* then several tests to measure hearing loss
Treatment And Cure
At this time there is no cure for Meniere’s disease but, there are treatments available that can help reduce some of the symptoms.
* Low sodium diet to reduce the amount of fluid in the system and the inner ear. Diuretics may also be prescribed.
* Medications to help the nausea associated with vertigo and other medications as needed.
* hearing aid to help improve hearing
* Surgery as a last ditch effort in people who have intolerable vertigo or tinnitus or to help prevent further hearing loss.
* Life style changes such as resting after an attack, avoiding stress and cutting down on caffeine, smoking and alcohol consumption may help as well.
Living With Meniere’s Disease
Because Meniere’s disease affects people to differing degrees some people can continue on with more or less normal lives while making a few adjustments. Other people experience symptoms of Vertigo to such a degree that they can no longer work, drive or even participate in normal daily activities safely. This often results in severe depression and other issues that may also have to be treated.
Family members should try to keep those who have more severe symptoms involved and active as much as possible. Even when the vertigo or tinnitus is at its worst feeling a valued member of the family and being made to feel as though you are needed will help the person dealing with the disease keep a more positive attitude.
Both the person with Meniere’s disease and family members should join a support group. These groups allow people to share their experiences, give ideas on coping with the disease, and share information that may prove helpful in improving the quality of life or dealing with the problems that arise. Knowing that there is someone else who understands can make a big difference to a person suffering from a chronic condition such as this one.
Those with Meniere’s disease will experience fullness in their ears, vertigo, tinnitus, and hearing loss. These symptoms can make their lives difficult, which is why it is important to look at treatment options. There are many different types of treatment available, and people will have to look to find the type of treatment that works best for them.
The first type of treatment has to do with medications.For many, vertigo is the most troubling symptom.They are always feeling dizzy and have to endure a persistent motion sickness. Thus, they administer medication to deal with vertigo.In some cases, those who begin on these kinds of medication show very fast improvement. However, other people may experience other symptoms, which is the reason there are multiple treatments available.
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The medical community also focuses on fluid reduction in the inner ear. That can be done with medicine or dietary changes. Someone with Meniere’s disease might be put on a diuretic to reduce the fluid, or they might simply have to change their diet. Some people can simply limit their salt intake and notice an improvement in symptoms.
Keeping their salt intake down is important for anyone with Meniere’s disease, if the doctor recommends it or not. Salt will make the symptoms much worse.
While these treatments work for many people, there are others that need something more intense so they can have relief. Some studies have shown that a round of steroids and diuretics will do the trick for some patients.This is due to the idea that Meniere’s disease occurs because of an autoimmune problem.This regimen addresses the deficiency and therefore addresses the problem.
People are also encouraged to manage stress when they have Meniere’s disease. This can be done in many different ways. People can exercise, mediate, and get acupuncture. They can find out what triggers their stress and work to avoid those triggers as well. Stress makes any illness worse, and Meniere’s Disease is no exception.
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Injections and surgery are also an option for those that do not respond to treatment. Most people choose this as a last resort, after the other treatments have failed. While the other treatments have few side effects, there are issues to worry about with injections or surgery. One of the biggest worries has to do with hearing loss.
The use of steroids as a treatment for Meniere’s disease comes with the risk of hearing loss. Because of the added risks associated with injections and surgery, it is recommended that people try everything else before they make the decision to go with the more dangerous treatment.
If you are a smoker with Meniere’s disease, you need to stop immediately.It will be difficult for a treatment to be effective if you smoke, because smoking exacerbates the issue. Quit smoking right away so you can work on feeling better.
If you are afflicted with Meniere’s disease, there are several treatment approaches available.You can diminish the symptoms to such a degree that they virtually vanish.Even if one approach doen’t get results, don’t become dispirited. It may require some patience to find the appropriate treatment.When that happen, you will be glad you kept searching.
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