Ménière's disease - symptoms

Ménière's disease is an insidious disease that most often affects people of working age, limiting their abilities, and subsequently leading to disability. To date, this disease is incurable. However, timely treatment started can significantly slow down its progression. To do this, you need to know how to identify the disease (syndrome) Ménière, and if you find the first signs immediately go to the doctor.

Manière's disease

The complex of symptoms of Meniere's disease (syndrome) was first described about 150 years ago by P. Menier, a French doctor. The disease affects the inner ear (often on one side) causing an increase in the fluid (endolymph) in its cavity. This fluid puts pressure on cells that regulate the orientation of the body in space and maintain equilibrium. The disease is characterized by three main symptoms:

1. Hearing loss (progressive). Often, the manifestations of the disease begin with small auditory disorders, to which the person almost does not pay attention. In the future, fluctuations in hearing acuity are noted - sharp deterioration of hearing is replaced by the same sudden improvement. However, the hearing gradually deteriorates, down to total deafness (when the pathological process changes from one ear to another).
2. Noise in the ear . Noises in the ears with Meniere's disease are more often described as ringing , hum, hissing, buzzing, grinding. These sensations intensify before the attack, reaching a maximum during the attack, and then noticeably contracting.
3. Attacks of dizziness . Such attacks with impaired coordination of motion, balance disorder can occur suddenly, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. During an attack, the noise in the ears increases, causing a feeling of stiffness and stunning. The equilibrium is broken, the patient can not stand, walk and sit, there is a feeling of a twirling of the surrounding situation and own body. Nystagmus can also be observed (involuntary movements of the eyeballs), changes in blood pressure and body temperature, blanching of the skin, sweating.

   The attack can last from several minutes to several days. In addition to the spontaneous beginning, its occurrence is provoked by physical and mental overexertion, sharp sounds, smells, etc.

Classification of the severity of the disease

There are three degrees of severity of Ménière's disease:

• severe - characterized by frequent attacks (daily, weekly) lasting more than 5 hours, loss of ability to work;
• average - frequent attacks lasting less than 5 hours, loss of ability to work after an attack on how much days, constant hearing loss;
• easy - between bouts of long intervals, during which the work capacity does not decrease.

Causes of Meniere's Disease

Until now, the disease is not fully understood, its causes remain unclear. There are only a few assumptions of possible factors causing it, among which:

• cardiovascular diseases;
• metabolic disorders ;
• endocrine diseases;
• allergies;
• consequences of head injuries;
• inflammatory diseases of the inner ear.

Diagnosis of Ménière's disease

The diagnosis is based on the clinical picture and the results of the otoneurological examination. To diagnostic measures at Ménière's illnesses include:

• otoscopy;
• audiometry;
• vestibulometry;
• stabilography;
• MRI of the brain, etc.

It should be remembered that none of the manifestations of Meniere's syndrome is characteristic only for this pathology. Therefore, it is necessary, first of all, to exclude other diseases with similar signs (otitis, otosclerosis, acute labyrinthitis, tumors of the VIII pair of cranial nerves, etc.).