No one’s really sure what causes Meniere’s disease. But it’s difficult to ignore its impact. Ringing in the ears, vertigo, dizziness, and hearing loss are all typical symptoms of this disease. Experts aren’t really certain why, but for some reason, fluid can accumulate in the ears and this appears to be the root cause of Meniere’s disease.
So the question is: how can you address something that doesn’t seem to have an identifiable cause? It’s a complex answer.
What exactly is Meniere’s disease?
There’s a persistent affliction that impacts the inner ear and it’s called Meniere’s disease. For many people, Meniere’s disease is progressive, meaning symptoms will grow worse as time passes. Those symptoms could include:
Unpredictable spells of vertigo: Sadly, when these episodes will occur and how long they will last can’t be predicted.
Tinnitus: The severity of this tinnitus could ebb and flow, but it’s not unusual for those with Meniere’s Disease to experience ringing in their ears.
Fullness in the ear: This is experienced as a sensation of pressure in your ears and is medically called aural fullness.
Hearing loss: Eventually, Meniere’s disease can cause a loss of hearing.
It’s important that you get an accurate diagnosis if you’re experiencing these symptoms. For many people with Meniere’s, symptoms are intermittent. But as time passes, symptoms can become more consistent and noticeable.
How is Meniere’s disease treated?
There is no known cure for Menier’s disease which is chronic and progressive. But there are a few ways to deal with the symptoms.
Some of the most prevalent treatments include the following:
- Medications: Anti-nausea and anti-dizziness medications can be prescribed by your doctor in some instances. This can help when those specific symptoms manifest. For example, medications designed to help with motion sickness could help you feel less dizzy when a bout of vertigo takes place.
- Hearing aid: As Meniere’s disease advances and your hearing loss gets worse, you may want to try a hearing aid. The progression of your hearing loss won’t necessarily be slowed by hearing aids. But it can help keep you socially engaged which can give a boost to your mental health. Hearing aids can also help you manage the symptoms of tinnitus in a number of ways.
- Rehabilitation: When Meniere’s disease is flaring up, You can use certain physical therapies that can help with balance. If you’re constantly dizzy or experiencing vertigo, this strategy might be warranted.
- Positive pressure therapy: There’s a non-invasive approach employed when Meniere’s is especially difficult to treat. It’s called positive pressure therapy. In order to minimize fluid buildup, the inner ear is subjected to positive pressure. While positive pressure therapy is promising, the long-term advantages of this method have yet to be borne out by peer-reviewed studies.
- Steroid shots: Injections of specific kinds of steroids can temporarily help alleviate some Meniere’s symptoms, particularly when it comes to vertigo.
- Surgery: In some instances, surgery is utilized to address Meniere’s. However, these surgical techniques will typically only affect the vertigo side of symptoms. Other Meniere’s symptoms will continue.
- Diuretic: Another kind of medication that your physician could prescribe is a diuretic. The concept is that decreasing the retention of fluids might help minimize pressure on your inner ear. This is a long-term medication that you’d take rather than one to reduce acute symptoms.
The key is getting the treatment that’s best for you
If you believe you have Meniere’s disease, you should get evaluated. The development of Meniere’s disease may be slowed by these treatments. But these treatments more often help you have a better quality of life in spite of your condition.
