The cause of Meniere’s is not really understood. But the impacts are difficult to underestimate. Ringing in the ears, dizziness, vertigo, and hearing loss are all typical symptoms of this disease. Symptoms of Meniere’s disease appear to come from a buildup of fluid in the inner ear, but scientists aren’t really certain what causes that buildup in the first place.
So here’s the question: how can you deal with something that doesn’t appear to have an identifiable cause? The answer is, well, complicated.
Exactly what is Meniere’s disease?
Meniere’s disease is a chronic disorder that impacts the inner ear. For many people, Meniere’s disease is progressive, meaning symptoms will get worse as time passes. Those symptoms could include:
Unpredictable spells of vertigo: Regrettably, there’s no way to know when these episodes of vertigo will strike or how long they could last.
Tinnitus: The degree of this tinnitus may ebb and flow, but it’s not abnormal 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 referred to as aural fullness.
Hearing loss: Eventually, Meniere’s disease can result in a loss of hearing.
It’s critical that you get an accurate diagnosis if you’re experiencing these symptoms. For many people with Meniere’s, symptoms are intermittent. But as the disease progresses, the symptoms will probably become more regular.
Treatment for Menier’s disease
There is no known cure for Menier’s disease which is chronic and progressive. But there are some ways to manage the symptoms.
Some of the most prevalent treatments include the following:
- Positive pressure therapy: When Meniere’s disease is especially challenging to manage, this non-invasive technique can be employed. Positive pressure therapy is the medical name for this therapy. This treatment entails exposing the inner ear to positive pressure in order to limit fluid accumulation. While positive pressure therapy is promising, the long-term benefits of this method have not been borne out by peer-reviewed research.
- 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 down by hearing aids. But it can help your mental health by keeping you socially active. Hearing aids can also help you manage the symptoms of tinnitus in several ways.
- Diuretic: A diuretic is another medication option that might be prescribed by your doctor. The concept is that reducing the retention of fluids could help minimize pressure on your inner ear. This medication isn’t used to treat extreme symptoms but instead is taken long-term.
- Steroid shots: Some symptoms of Meniere’s, especially vertigo, can be temporarily relieved with injections of certain steroids.
- Surgery: In some cases, Meniere’s disease can be addressed with surgery. Normally, however, only the vertigo part of the disease is affected by this surgery. It won’t impact the other symptoms.
- Rehabilitation: There are rehabilitation and physical therapy methods that can help you maintain balance when Meniere’s disease is acting up. If you’re constantly dizzy or experiencing vertigo, this approach might be warranted.
- Medications: Anti-nausea and anti-dizziness medications can be prescribed by your physician in some cases. This can be helpful when those specific symptoms occur. So, when an episode of dizziness happens, medication for motion sickness can help decrease that dizziness.
Get the best treatment for you
You should get checked out if think you may have Meniere’s disease. Treatments for Meniere’s can sometimes slow down the progression of your condition. But these treatments more often help you have a better quality of life despite your condition.