Meniere’s DiseaseSilence is golden…unless it’s forever!

Table 4

What Does it Do?

Causes severe dizziness (vertigo)Ringing of the ear (tinnitus) Hearing loss or eventual deafnessFeeling of fullness or congestion of the ear

Why Me?

There is a buildup of fluid in the labyrinth of the inner ear

The balance is in the semicircular canals which are affected

Normal balance of endomolph fluid is thrown off

Why Does My Ear Not Like Me?

NOBODY KNOWS!!!Some researchers believe it is caused by a

restriction of blood vessels (also associated with migraines)

Your parents fault (bad genes)- causes abnormalities in volume and regulation of endomolph fluid

This Disease is Nonspecific

Does not target a specific age race or sexUsually only effects one ear

Diagnosis

You go to your local otolaryngologist (ear nose and throat Doctor) and they diagnose the symptoms:

Two or more episodes of vertigo lasting at least 20 minutes each

Tinnitus Temporary hearing loss A feeling of fullness in the ear

How Do Doctors Fix This?

Doctors cannot cure the disease but they fight symptoms by:

Prescribing drugs to relieve dizziness and shorten attacks

Recommend cutting salt from the diet and prescribe water pills to lower the fluid volume and pressure in the ear

Injections of antibiotic gentamicin into the inner ear to reduce dizziness-may cause deafness (sorry )

Other Treatments

Surgery to cut vestibular nerveAlternative medicine is also used tai-chi,

acupuncture etc.

Research

Scientists are working to develop a microfluid pump to deliver vertigo relieving drugs to the inner ear

Doctors seek to study the normal ear to contrast with a Meniere ear in the amount of fluid in the endolymph

Sources

Harms, R. (2010, June 8). Mayo clinic: Meniere. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/menieres-disease/DS00535

Ménière's disease. (2012, Febr 03). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ménière's_disease

Ménière's disease. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/ménière's disease

National institute on deafness and other communication disorders. (2010, September 13). Retrieved from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/balance/pages/meniere.aspx

Schwartz, S. (2011, August 31). Pubmed health: Meniere. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001721/