Meniere's Disease

Ménière's disease is a term rarely heard, but those who experience hearing loss of varying degrees as well as problem retaining balance – either temporarily or intermittently – may have been diagnosed with this ailment. It is interesting to note that Ménière's disease quite often only presents unilaterally, thus aggravating the experience of vertigo and also accompanying hearing loss. While a specialist in Ménière's disease may acknowledge that many different symptoms are associated with the ailment, she or he will also be quick to point out that diagnosing Ménière's disease is not as simple as checking of symptoms. Considering the fact that dizziness, pressure of the inner ear, ringing, and also hearing loss may be associated with a wide array of different conditions, many a Ménière's disease book will point to the unilateral presentation of the symptoms as being a tell tale sign.

Ménière's disease does not have a known cause. Instead, several contributing factors have been found to aggravate the ailment. For example, something as simple as an infection of the middle ear can lead to full blown Ménière's disease; trauma to the head, the use of aspirin and certain narcotics as well as elevated intake of caffeine have been associated with a worsening of the condition, and those who have been diagnosed with Ménière's disease avoid these substances as much as possible. To receive all the tests associated with the detection of Ménière's disease, doctor recommended procedures include MRIs as well as audiometry.

Ménière's disease treatment focuses on the diminishing of the symptoms that make it hard for those with Ménière's disease to return to work. Quite often debilitating, Ménière's disease management includes treatment for hearing loss, severe dietary changes such as the limitation of sodium, and aggressive curative measures when related to hypothyroidism and Ménière's disease. Some have coupled Ménière's disease and drinking lots of water with an improvement in the persistence of symptoms while others have thought that estrogen and Ménière's disease relate to one another. While there is still a lot to learn about Ménière's disease, it is thus far apparent that only symptom control is effective. In a few rare cases this may need to extend to surgery when vertigo cannot be controlled otherwise or the head tilt Ménière's disease is associated with cannot be alleviated. Perhaps most interesting is the fact that Ménière's disease in some individuals will disappear as quickly as it presented itself, thus not necessitating any invasive treatments.