The cause of Meniere’s isn’t really understood. But it’s hard to dismiss its impact. Some common symptoms of this disorder are dizziness, vertigo, ringing in the ears, and hearing loss. Scientists aren’t really sure why, but for some reason, fluid can build up in the ears and this seems to be the root cause of Meniere’s disease.
So here’s the question: if a condition doesn’t have a discernible cause, how can it be addressed? It’s a complex answer.
Exactly what is Meniere’s disease?
Meniere’s disease is a chronic condition that affects the inner ear. Symptoms of Meniere’s will grow over time, for many people, because it’s a progressive condition. Here are some of those symptoms:
Unpredictable bouts of vertigo: Unfortunately, there’s no way to know when these episodes of vertigo will strike or how long they could last.
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 referred to as aural fullness.
Hearing loss: Meniere’s disease can result in hearing loss over time.
It’s critical that you get an accurate diagnosis if you’re noticing these symptoms. For many individuals with Meniere’s, symptoms are intermittent. But over time, symptoms can become more regular and obvious.
Treatment for Menier’s disease
There is no known cure for Menier’s disease which is persistent and progressive. But there are some ways to manage the symptoms.
The following are a few of those treatments:
- Medications: In some instances, your doctor will be prescribe anti-dizziness and anti-nausea medications. If those specific symptoms show up, this can be helpful. So, when a bout of dizziness occurs, medication for motion sickness can help alleviate that dizziness.
- Steroid shots: Injections of certain types of steroids can temporarily help relieve some Meniere’s symptoms, especially when it comes to vertigo.
- Hearing aid: As Meniere’s disease progresses and your hearing loss gets worse, you may want to get a hearing aid. Typically, a hearing aid won’t necessarily impede the advancement of your hearing loss. But it can help keep you socially active which can improve your mental health. Hearing aids can also help you control the symptoms of tinnitus in a number of ways.
- Surgery: In some cases, surgery is utilized to address Meniere’s. However, these surgical techniques will typically only impact the vertigo part of symptoms. It won’t affect the other symptoms.
- Rehabilitation: There are rehabilitation and physical therapy techniques that can help you maintain balance when Meniere’s disease is acting up. If you’re perpetually dizzy or experiencing vertigo, this approach may be warranted.
- Positive pressure therapy: There’s a non-invasive method employed when Meniere’s is particularly challenging to treat. Positive pressure therapy is the medical name for this therapy. This treatment involves subjecting the inner ear to positive pressure as a way to limit fluid accumulation. While positive pressure therapy is promising, the long-term benefits of this method have not been backed up by peer-reviewed research.
- Diuretic: A diuretic is another medication alternative that may be prescribed by your doctor. The concept is that reducing the retention of fluids could help minimize pressure on your inner ear. This is a long-term medication that you’d take as opposed to one to decrease acute symptoms.
The key is getting the treatment that’s best for you
You should get an exam if think you may have Meniere’s disease. The advancement of Meniere’s disease may be slowed down by these treatments. But these treatments more often help you have a greater quality of life in spite of your condition.
