Meniere’s disease is a disease of the inner ear that causes recurrent bouts of dizziness. It is also common to have a varying hearing loss, tinnitus, and pressure in one ear. The treatment is aimed at counteracting stress, but there are also medicines that can help.
Symptoms of Meniere’s disease
These symptoms are common in Meniere’s disease:
- You get severe dizziness without doing anything special.
- The dizziness lasts between twenty minutes and up to six hours.
- The dizziness gets worse as you move your head.
- Feeling sick and vomit.
- You get hearing loss in one ear at the same time as the dizziness.
- Getting a lid for one ear.
- You get tinnitus in one ear.
Between the attacks, you feel as usual but you can hear badly and have lids and tinnitus in one ear.
The most typical symptom of Meniere’s disease is that the symptoms from the ears vary. Sometimes you hear badly and have a lot of tinnitus, sometimes the hearing is good and you have no tinnitus.
You can get confessions before the attack
Many people can feel that an attack is about to take place. It can be felt for an hour up to a few days before. Then you can get symptoms of Meniere’s disease such as sound distortion, tinnitus, and pressure in one ear.
Varies how often the attacks come
It varies greatly how often the attacks come. You may have repeated, frequent seizures, but sometimes it can take years without any symptoms.
In the long term, the disease often causes hearing loss and tinnitus on one ear.
When and where should I seek care?
Investigations
The most important examination is a hearing examination. It should be done when you experience hearing loss. If the hearing symptoms with impaired hearing, cap and tinnitus have disappeared, you may sometimes have to come back and do the test when you feel the fear is worse again.
The doctor also makes tests to rule out that the dizziness is due to something else. Sometimes a magnetic camera examination is done. You often get a referral to an ear-nose-throat doctor for further investigation.
There is no blood test or other examination to show that you have Meniere’s disease. The diagnosis is made when the doctor finds the varying hearing loss that is typical of Meniere’s disease and when you have recurrent seizures.
Treatment of Meniere’s disease
It is good to avoid harmful stress, to reduce the salt in the food and to be physically active. It is also good to get enough sleep and rest.
There is currently no treatment of Meniere’s disease that can help against hearing loss and tinnitus. But there are treatments that relieve, for example, the use of hearing aids and KBT.
In the case of dizziness, you can take medicines that reduce dizziness and nausea. You can take these if you have a feeling that an attack is coming. This treatment of Meniere’s disease may suffice if you only have a few seizures a year.
You who have major problems with frequent attacks can receive treatment so that the attacks can disappear completely. It may be, for example, a small tube through the eardrum or fluid-propelling drug. It is up to the doctor and you to come together to decide which treatment of Meniere’s disease is best for you.
During periods of frequent seizures, you can take drugs for dizziness two to three times a day for two to four weeks. It can relieve and help stop the period of symptoms of Meniere’s disease.
What happens in the body?
It is not clear what Meniere’s disease is due to. The disease is thought to be due to a disturbed regulation of the pressure in the fluid-filled passages in the inner ear.
The risk of getting the disease increases if you have a close relative who has Meniere’s disease or if you have or have had a migraine. Sometimes you can have migraine attacks with just dizziness, nausea and vomiting without headaches. This form of migraine is difficult to distinguish from Meniere’s disease.
Most people with the disease have a rather mild form with occasional dizziness.
Usually, the problems start at age 40, sometimes later. It is very rare for children to get Meniere’s disease.
Influence and participate in your care
You can seek care at any medical center or open specialist clinic you want throughout the country. Sometimes a referral to the open specialized care is required.