No one’s quite certain what causes Meniere’s disease. But the impacts are difficult to underestimate. Some prevalent symptoms of this condition are dizziness, vertigo, ringing in the ears, and hearing loss. Experts aren’t really sure why, but for some reason, fluid can accumulate in the ears and this appears to be the underlying cause of Meniere’s disease.
So the question is: how can you address something that doesn’t appear to have an identifiable cause? It’s a complicated answer.
What exactly is Meniere’s disease?
Meniere’s disease is a persistent condition that affects the inner ear. Symptoms of Meniere’s will get worse over time, for many people, because it’s a progressive condition. Here are some of those symptoms:
Unpredictable spells of vertigo: Sadly, when these episodes will occur and how long they will last can’t be predicted.
Tinnitus: The degree of this tinnitus may ebb and flow, but it’s not uncommon for those with Meniere’s Disease to have ringing in their ears.
Fullness in the ear: This symptom is medically called aural fullness, the sensation of pressure in your ear.
Hearing loss: Over time, Meniere’s disease can result in a loss of hearing.
It’s important that you get the proper diagnosis if you’re noticing these symptoms. Symptoms of Meniere’s disease can come and go for many individuals. But as the disease advances, the symptoms will most likely become more consistent.
Treatment for Menier’s disease
There is no known cure for Menier’s disease which is chronic and progressive. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t any way to treat it.
The following are a few of those treatments:
- Rehabilitation: There are rehabilitation and physical therapy techniques that can help you preserve balance when Meniere’s disease is acting up. This approach may be a useful technique if you’re experiencing frequent dizziness or vertigo.
- Positive pressure therapy: When Meniere’s disease is especially challenging to manage, this non-invasive strategy can be employed. Positive pressure therapy is the medical name for this therapy. This therapy entails exposing the inner ear to positive pressure in order to limit fluid buildup. Peer review has not, so far, confirmed the long-term advantages of this method but it does seem promising.
- Medications: In some instances, your physician will be able to prescribe anti-dizziness and anti-nausea medications. This can help when those particular symptoms occur. So, when a bout of dizziness happens, medication for motion sickness can help alleviate that dizziness.
- Hearing aid: As Meniere’s disease advances and your hearing loss gets worse, you might want to try a hearing aid. The progression of your hearing loss won’t necessarily be slowed down by hearing aids. But it can benefit your mental health by keeping you socially active. Hearing aids can also help you control the symptoms of tinnitus in a number of ways.
- Steroid shots: Injections of certain kinds of steroids can temporarily help relieve some Meniere’s symptoms, particularly in regards to vertigo.
- Surgery: In some cases, Meniere’s disease can be treated with surgery. However, these surgical procedures will normally only affect the vertigo side of symptoms. Other Meniere’s symptoms will remain.
- Diuretic: A diuretic is another medication option that may be prescribed by your doctor. The idea here is that the pressure in the inner ear can be lessened by reducing fluid retention. This is a long-term medication that you’d use as opposed to one to reduce extreme symptoms.
Get the best treatment for you
If you suspect you have Meniere’s disease, you should get examined. The advancement of Meniere’s disease might be slowed down by these treatments. But these treatments more frequently help you have a greater quality of life despite your condition.
