Labyrinthitis

What is labyrinthitis?

Labyrinthitis is an infection that affects the inner part of your ear (known as the labyrinth). It can affect your hearing and your balance, which in turn can affect your quality of life and ability to carry out day-to-day tasks like driving, cycling and operating machinery or tools.

It can get better on its own, though it can be challenging to deal with.The most severe symptoms usually ease in the first few days, and full recovery is often achieved within a couple of months. Labyrinthitis is sometimes confused with vestibular neuritis, but vestibular neuritis typically affects balance only and does not cause hearing loss.

Who gets labyrinthitis?

Anyone can get labyrinthitis, but it’s thought to be more common in people who are between 30 and 60 years old, and more common in women.^[1]

How common is labyrinthitis?

There isn’t a huge amount of data showing just how common labyrinthitis is. But vestibular dysfunction (the umbrella term for a few conditions that affects your ear and balance) is estimated to affect around 4.9% of the population each year, and 7.4% of people during their lifetime.^[2]

What causes labyrinthitis?

Labyrinthitis is caused by an inflammation of the inner ear, often as a result of a virus – like cold or flu. It’s less common (but still possible) for labyrinthitis to be caused by an ear infection, allergies, or using certain medicines that are bad for the inner ear.

It’s also possible for labyrinthitis to be caused by a bacteria, rather than a virus. This could affect your treatment, so it’s important that you’re honest about your health when you get your diagnosis so that you can get the most effective treatment.

There are also some factors to take into account that can increase the risk of labyrinthitis, including:

• drinking too much alcohol
• fatigue
• a history of allergies
• a recent viral illness, respiratory infection or an ear infection
• bacterial infections
• infectious organisms
• smoking
• stress
• using certain prescription or over-the-counter medicines

What are the symptoms of labyrinthitis?

The main symptoms of labyrinthitis are vertigo (where it feels like everything around you is spinning) and dizziness.

Symptoms of labyrinthitis can start suddenly, and usually worsen before easing off slightly. Some of the other symptoms of labyrinthitis are:

• struggling with your balance and feeling unsteady
• finding it difficult to stay upright or walk in a straight line
• feeling sick, or being sick
• experiencing hearing loss
• tinnitus (ringing in your ears)

Some symptoms, such as loss of balance, can take weeks or months to get back to normal.

Can labyrinthitis lead to other problems?

Around 10% of people with labyrinthitis go on to develop benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).^[1] This is a problem in the inner ear that’s the most common cause of vertigo. Vertigo can cause problems with balance, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, feeling like the room’s spinning and an increased risk of falls. This, in turn, can increase your risk of falling over and injuring yourself.

These symptoms can come and go, and don’t usually last for long periods. The triggers for BPPV symptoms can vary from person to person, but they’re most commonly caused by a change in head position, standing or walking. The severity and frequency of episodes vary between individuals.