Ménière's disease is a rare disorder that affects the inner ear. It can cause vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and a feeling of pressure deep inside the ear.
Common disorders such as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and vestibular neuritis are frequently confused for one another1 and for more serious central causes such as stroke.
Can the symptoms of vertigo be confused with the symptoms of other diseases or conditions? Yes, this is a common occurrence. Usually they are mistaken because of use of the word dizziness. Dizziness can refer to lightheadedness, which is not vertigo and is commonly produced by vascular problems.
Quick movements that trigger episodes of vertigo include sitting up, turning around, or turning over in bed. Meniere's Disease: Meniere's disease is a condition in which fluid builds up in the inner ear. Individuals with Meniere's disease experience sudden episodes of vertigo that may last several hours.
If the symptoms are very severe and don't go away, surgery on the vestibular system (the organ of balance) may be considered. This involves destroying either the nerve fibers in the affected semicircular canal, or the semicircular canal itself. The sensory hair cells can then no longer pass information on to the brain.
Blood Work A blood test can reveal problems that could be to blame for your dizziness complaints. Your doctor might check your blood cell count, thyroid function, blood sugar levels, electrolytes, and more. Allergy Tests Sometimes allergies are the culprit for vertigo symptoms.
Neurological Conditions
Illnesses like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and cervical spondylosis slowly damage the way your nervous system talks to your brain, which can affect your balance. Physical therapy can help you manage the symptoms.
A few intracranial lesions may present only with positional vertigo which are very easy to misdiagnose as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV); the clinicians should pay more attention to this disease.
Vertigo is commonly caused by a problem with the way balance works in the inner ear, although it can also be caused by problems in certain parts of the brain. Causes of vertigo may include: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) – where certain head movements trigger vertigo. migraines – severe headaches.
Central vertigo is due to a problem in the brain, usually in the brain stem or the back part of the brain (cerebellum). Central vertigo may be caused by: Blood vessel disease. Certain drugs, such as anticonvulsants, aspirin, and alcohol.
MRI is preferred over CT due to its superiority in visualizing the posterior fossa, which is often the location for a central etiology of vertigo. MRI will rule out acute and chronic ischemic disease, cerebellopontine lesions such as vestibular schwannomas and meningiomas, as well as multiple sclerosis.
Vertigo and leukaemia
In contrary to this, up to almost half (16-48%) of leukaemia patients will present with symptoms involving disrupted ear function at some stage of the disease after diagnosis, including either; vertigo, sudden hearing loss or tinnitus.
Doctors use the Dix-Hallpike test (sometimes called the Dix-Hallpike maneuver) to check for a common type of vertigo called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV. Vertigo is the sudden feeling that you or your surroundings are spinning.
A vertigo attack can last from a few seconds to hours. If you have severe vertigo, it can last for many days or months.
Recurring episodes of vertigo that do not go away on their own may be caused by a problem related to the inner ear or the brain.
Meniere's disease is typically diagnosed by an otolaryngologist. During a clinic visit, your doctor will take your medical history and conduct a physical exam. If you have the following confirmed issues, you may have Meniere's disease: Hearing loss — verified by a hearing exam.
Surgical therapy for Ménière disease is reserved for medical treatment failures. All patients should have rapid follow up with their primary care provider. Some patients may require referral to an otolaryngologist or neurologist. Salt-restricted diet, steroids, and the use of diuretics are often first-line therapies.
Sudden severe hearing loss and deafness in one ear are both common symptoms of ear stroke. Ear stroke is also known as sudden sensorineural hearing loss. In as short as three days, the patients will suddenly lose part or all of their hearing ability.
Potential Meniere's triggers
Basically anything that increases pressure or fluid in the inner ear can trigger an attack.
They feel dizzy and sick, their hearing is dominated by a hissing or roaring sound (tinnitus), and one or both ears feel full to bursting point. Meniere's disease may develop slowly over time, with a gradual loss of hearing, or suddenly with a vertigo attack. Attacks can last from 10 minutes to several hours.
Ménière's disease usually affects only one ear. Attacks of dizziness may come on suddenly or after a short period of tinnitus or muffled hearing. Some people will have single attacks of dizziness separated by long periods of time. Others may experience many attacks closer together over a number of days.