A sensation of spinning known as vertigo is the most common condition diagnosed in a majority of the population. As we all know vertigo is not an ailment rather a symptom of various underlying causes associated with the inner ear, vestibular system or auditory system or brainstem that comes along with other symptoms like headache, nausea, vomiting, jerky eyes, etc. Meniere disease is one of the most common inner ear conditions that results in causing repeated episodes of vertigo bouts in patients. Treating such a condition on time is a must to prevent the symptoms from getting intense. Consult an expert neurologist to get yourself diagnosed and get the best vertigo treatment. He may even prescribe you with certain vertigo medicines to ease spinning sensations caused due to Meriene’s disease. Let’s have a brief insight into what is Meniere’s disease.
What is Meniere’s disease?
Meniere’s disease is a chronic inner ear condition that is likely to occur at any age but most likely found in people over the age group of 40 years. It is one of the major causes that are responsible for repeated episodes of vertigo bouts in patients.
Meniere’s disease directly affects a person’s vestibular and auditory systems. The vestibular system is responsible for regulating the balance of the body whereas the auditory system is responsible for hearing.
A person suffering from Meniere’s disease experiences a fluid build up in the inner ear. The increased pressure in the inner ear blocks the vestibular nerve responsible for sending signals from the inner ear to the brain that regulates body balance thus resulting in repeated episodes of vertigo bouts. It may even sometimes result in the loss of permanent hearing ability.
Meniere’s disease can occur in both the ears or either of the one depending upon the severity of the condition.
Hearing loss, fullness in the affected ear, tinnitus, spinning sensations, lightheadedness, difficulty in balance, nausea, etc. are some other Meniere’s disease symptoms. Living with such a condition is not an easy task. To the outside world, the person may seem normal but the person who is suffering such a condition experiences a turn of events and experiences difficulty in accomplishing daily chores.
If medicals are to be believed, Meniere disease does not have a cure. To ease the Meniere’s disease symptoms certain treatments and surgeries are designed. Including some dizziness treatment food in the daily diet helps in easing the condition naturally. It is advised to seek medical help as soon as you start observing certain symptoms. An expert neurologist will closely examine your condition and suggest the right Meniere’s disease treatment and vertigo medicine to ease spinning sensations.
Meniere’s Disease Causes
Talking about the responsible cause that results in such a condition, well there is no specific cause that leads to such a condition. Mostly, fluid build-up known as endolymph in the inner ear is responsible for causing Meniere’s disease in patients. It blocks the vestibular nerve from sending signals to the brain thus resulting in making a person feel dizzy.
Scientifically, Meniere’s disease is known as primary idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops, which refers to abnormal fluid up in the inner ear.
Here is a list of some causes that trigger Meniere disease:
- Injury in head or ear
- Inner ear infection
- Allergies can trigger symptoms
- Excessive alcohol
- Sometimes stress and anxiety as well
- Side effects of certain antibiotics
- Excessive smoking
- Fatigue
- Severe Migraine headaches
- Long-standing family history of the disease
Signs and Symptoms of Meniere’s disease
A person suffering from Meniere’s disease can be diagnosed by examining its symptoms closely. Here is a list of some most common Meniere’s disease symptoms that calls to visit a neurologist to get yourself diagnosed and get the right treatment.
Repeated episodes of vertigo spells
If a person is suffering from Meniere’s disease, vertigo is the most common symptom that is likely to be experienced by the patient. Repeated episodes of vertigo spells appear without any warning signs making a person lose balance along with spinning sensations. Vertigo spells may last for minutes to hours depending on the severity of the condition. Generally, bouts of vertigo dizziness do not last for more than a day. Nausea and vomiting often come with vertigo.
Ringing sensation in the inner ear
Ringing sensation in the inner ear is known as Tinnitus. A person suffering from Meniere disease may experience a ringing, buzzing, whistling, or hissing sensation in the ear when there is no sound in the external environment. If the disease is at an initial stage, the ringing sound fluctuates whereas if the disease has entered a later stage and became chronic the ringing sound may become perpetual.
Difficulty in hearing or loss of hearing ability
Difficulty in hearing is one of the signs that indicate a condition known as Meniere disease. During the initial stage, hearing loss is fluctuant as it comes and goes but if the case becomes chronic and left untreated it can result in loss of permanent hearing ability.
Inner ear pressure caused due to fluid build-up or ear fullness
Fullness in the inner ear caused due to abnormal fluid build-up is one of the main symptoms that indicate Meniere’s disease. Before the emergence of vertigo bouts some patients experience pressure on the side of the head and subside itself as dizziness alleviates.
Consulting an expert neurologist is recommended as soon as you start experiencing any signs and symptoms to get yourself diagnosed and get the right Meniere’s disease treatment to prevent the condition from getting worse.
Best Meniere’s disease treatment
Well, like Meniere’s disease does not have any cure, altering lifestyle habits, including certain changes in diet, taking certain medicines and supplements helps in managing the debilitating condition. Let’s have a look at some of the most common Meniere’s disease treatment:
A diet change to treat Meniere’s disease
Once the patient is diagnosed with Meniere’s disease, some dietary changes are recommended by doctors. Patients are advised to reduce the consumption of caffeinated beverages and alcohol as it constricts the blood flow. It helps in alleviating the symptoms thereby giving the much-needed relief. Eating a diet that helps in eliminating substances that retain water in the body is recommended. Going on a low salt or no salt diet helps in dealing with the situation. As water retention can make the condition worse that does not mean you should stop the intake of fluids completely. Drinking water, milk, low sugar juices evenly throughout the day is recommended.
Vertigo medicines to treat the condition
To treat the condition, your doctor may prescribe some over the counter antibiotics or vertigo medicines depending upon the severity of the Meniere’s disease. Doctors generally prescribe Vestibular suppressants medications such as Meclizine, Prochlorperazine, or Diazepam to ease the spinning sensation, nausea, and motion sickness. Diuretics are even recommended by doctors to ease the inner ear pressure.
Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy
If medications and dietary modification do not show much effect in easing the condition then doctors would recommend going for Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy as it resolves disequilibrium issues. The therapy is designed as per individual patient needs to treat the condition.
Surgery
If all the other treatments fail to treat Meniere’s disease, surgery is usually recommended by doctors.