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Meniere’s Disease
By: Cindy Infante
Psychology (HONORS)
What is Meniere’s Disease ?
• Ménière disease is a syndrome in which you experience
episodes of spinning vertigo (sense of the room
spinning), hearing loss, and tinnitus (ringing in the ear).
Between the unpredictable attacks, you usually do not
have any problems or symptoms of the disease.
Ménière disease was first described in 1861 by the French
physician Prosper Ménière.
Causes
• The cause of Meniere's disease
isn't well understood. It
appears to be the result of the
abnormal volume or
composition of fluid in the
inner ear.
Factors that alter the properties of inner ear fluid may help
cause Meniere's disease.
• Improper fluid drainage, perhaps because of a
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blockage or anatomic abnormality
Abnormal immune response
Allergies
Viral infection
Genetic predisposition
Head trauma
Migraines
How is Meniere’s disease
diagnosed?
• Diagnosis is based on a
combination of the right
set of symptoms (usually
episodic dizziness and
hearing disturbance);
hearing tests, which
document that hearing is
reduced after an attack,
and then gets better; and
exclusion of alternative
causes.
Target Population
• Ménière disease affects people
of all ages, especially those of
middle age or older. It is,
however, uncommon in
children
• Meniere’s disease affects
roughly 0.2% of the
population. Interestingly, the
Framingham study found that
2% of the population of the
United States believe they
have Meniere’s disease,
suggesting that there is
considerable chance of
misdiagnosis.
Affects with CNS/PNS
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An acute attack of Meniere’s disease is
generally believed to result from fluctuating
pressure of the fluid within the inner ear.
This is called “hydrops”. A system of
membranes, called the membranous
labyrinth, contains a fluid called endolymph.
The membranes can become dilated like a
balloon when pressure increases. One way
for this to happen is when the drainage
system, called the endolymphatic duct or
sac is blocked. In some cases, the
endolymphatic duct may be obstructed by
scar tissue, or may be narrow from birth. In
some cases there may be too much fluid
secreted by the stria vascularis. Recently,
some have pointed out that this “central
hypothesis” of Meniere’s is questionable, as
many normal people without Meniere’s have
evidence of increased pressure in the inner
ear too.
Symptoms
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Hearing loss
Ringing in the ear (tinnitus)
Feeling of fullness in the ear
Headache that is unusual or severe for
you
Double vision or loss of vision
Speech impairment
Leg or arm weakness
Loss of consciousness
Falling or difficulty walking
Numbness or tingling
Chest pain
Prognosis
• Ménière's disease often can find
the right combination of lifestyle
changes and medication to reduce
the frequency and severity of
attacks. Patients with severe,
disabling symptoms may get relief
with surgery, but the risks and
benefits need to be weighed
carefully.
Cure / Vaccine or Treatment
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No cure exists for Meniere's disease, but a
number of strategies may help you manage
some symptoms. Research shows that most
people with Meniere's disease respond to
treatment, although long-term hearing loss
is difficult to prevent.
Long-term medication use
Noninvasive therapies and procedures
Rehabilitation
Hearing Aid
Meniett Device- For vertigo that's hard to treat, this
therapy involves the application of positive pressure to the
middle ear to improve fluid exchange. A device called a
Meniett pulse generator applies pulses of pressure to the ear
canal through a ventilation tube. The treatment is performed
at home, usually three times a day for five minutes at a time.
Notable Case
•
Alan Shepard - (November 18, 1923 - July
21, 1998) was the first American in space
and the fifth person to walk on the moon,
commanding the Apollo 14 mission. In the
early 1964 Shepard was diagnosed with
Meniere's Disease. The condition caused
him to be removed from flight status for
most of the 1960's as the disease cause
disorientation, dizziness and nausea. In
1963 Shepard was designated Chief of the
Astronaut office which involved monitoring
the coordination, schedule, and control of all
activities involving the NASA astronauts.
Shepard was eventually restored to full
flight status by 1969 after going through
corrective surgery. At the age of 47 years
old, he was the oldest astronaut in the
program when he took part in his second
space flight as commander of the Apollo 14.
Celebrities with Meniere Disease
• Emily Dickinson - poet born
1830's
• Peggy Lee - singer 1920 –
2002
Organizations and Facilities
• Vestibular
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Disorders
Association
RSS Feeds
Directory of
Organizations
(Deafness and
Communication
Disorders)
Citations
• http://american-hearing.org/disorders/menieres-disease/#diagnosed
• http://www.menieresinfo.com/
• Meniere's disease - MayoClinic.com