Ménière’s disease

What causes Ménière’s disease?

It’s not fully understood what causes Ménière’s disease. It seems to be an issue that develops due to the fluid levels in your inner ear, but a lot of different aspects (such as those stated above) can make you more likely to develop it. It can also be associated with complications following falls, adverse psychological impacts and even social effects.

What are the symptoms of Ménière’s disease?

When someone’s initially showing symptoms of Ménière’s disease, the actual way in which they develop can vary. They alter between different episodes of dizziness, and as it progresses people might begin to suffer with hearing loss or persistent tinnitus. A clinician might also suspect Ménière’s disease if you go to them with episodes of spontaneous vertigo and aural fullness (when there’s pressure in your ear that you can’t relieve). Your symptoms of vertigo might resolve, but it could be the case that residual hearing loss and tinnitus continue.

You’ll only receive a definite diagnosis of Ménière’s disease, though, if:

• you get vertigo (at least two spontaneous episodes lasting between 20 minutes and 12 hours)
• you experience fluctuating hearing, tinnitus, and/or the perception of aural fullness in the affected ear
• you have hearing loss (which has been confirmed by an audiometry test to be as a result of disease, low-to-mid frequency, and affects your ear on one or more occasion) either before, during or after one of your episodes of vertigo
• no other diagnosis is satisfactory

You’ll usually only receive confirmation of the diagnosis when it’s been delivered by an ENT (ear, nose and throat) consultant. This is necessary, as is a formal audiology assessment.

Can Ménière’s disease lead to other problems?

It’s not usually the case that Ménière’s disease leads to serious complications, but there can be some problems that people might suffer with over time. One of these is due to the fact that one of the symptoms is spontaneous bursts of vertigo. Some people with Ménière’s disease have ‘drop attacks’ where they fall to the floor.

The main issue that can arise through drop attacks are physical injuries that occur as a result of the fall. The best way that you can prevent injuries such as this is to make sure that you’re in safe surroundings whenever you feel like there’s an attack coming on.

Another potential complication comes in the form of psychological effects, as a lot of people who have Ménière’s disease can sometimes also develop anxiety, depression and agoraphobia. You may develop work-related issues like not being able to operate heavy machinery or work at height too.

You might also need to change the way you carry out some tasks or activities in your day-to-day life in case you experience an unexpected attack.