Meniere's Disease
Meniere's disease — dizziness, tinnitus, and ear fullness can come together
Source : KBS 1TV "The Secret of Life and Death"
When the lymphatic fluid filling the inner ear swells and pressure rises, irritating the nerve, dizziness lasting from tens of minutes to several hours occurs. It may be accompanied by tinnitus, a blocked sensation in the ear, and hearing loss.
Overwork, stress, irregular sleep, and a high-salt diet all encourage symptoms to appear.
With each recurrence hearing deteriorates a little further, and once hearing is lost it is difficult to recover. Because the condition recurs often, patients frequently live in fear of a sudden episode, which markedly lowers quality of life. This is a condition that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment.
Meniere's disease — how is it treated?
Source : Illustration: Servier Medical Art (Smart-Servier) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Meniere's disease has various causes. Whatever the cause, symptoms arise from endolymphatic hydrops — excess production or impaired absorption of endolymph. Viral infection, autoimmune disease, overwork and stress, irregular sleep, and lowered immunity can all trigger an attack. It can be diagnosed through careful examination by a specialist and vestibular function testing including video nystagmography.
When the presentation is atypical, a structural abnormality of the brainstem or cerebellum — including a tumor near the vestibular nerve such as acoustic neuroma — may be responsible, so brain MRI may be needed.
At Centum Neurology we provide an accurate diagnosis together with treatment for the acute attack and preventive treatment to avoid recurrence.
※ This is general medical information provided for understanding only. Actual diagnosis and treatment are determined by a specialist after examination, based on the individual patient's condition.
