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Signs & Symptoms of Menieres Disease

Meniere's disease is a condition of the inner ear, possibly a fluid imbalance, that causes you to begin to experience hearing and balance problems. It is commonly diagnosed using a combination of a physical examination, a hearing test, and a balance test. It is normally treated with a regiment of medications, and your doctor may suggest changes to your diet as well.

  1. Vertigo

    • One of the more common symptoms of Meniere's disease is vertigo. Vertigo makes you feel as if the room is spinning around you and you cannot stop it. You find it difficult to stand, and it can be almost impossible to maintain your balance as you walk. According to the Mayo Clinic, bouts of vertigo can last up to 20 minutes. For more severe cases you may experience nausea, and if the condition persists the nausea may lead to vomiting.

    Hearing Loss

    • Another common symptom of Meniere's disease is some level of hearing loss. When you first start to experience symptoms your hearing loss will come and go. Attacks of hearing loss will be completely random, and it is unknown how long they will continue. As time goes by hearing loss attacks will become more frequent, and they may tend to last longer. If left untreated it is not uncommon for people suffering from Meniere's disease to experience a certain amount of permanent hearing loss.

    Tinnitus

    • Tinnitus is a buzzing, whistling, or ringing in the ears that can affect your ability to hear what is going on around you. The intensity of the sound can vary, but it is not intermittent. Once you begin to experience tinnitus, you will always experience it until your condition is cured. It can prevent you from being able to take part in conversations with people more than an arm's length away from you, and the frustration it causes can sometimes develop into anxiety and depression.

    Ear Pressure

    • From time to time, if you are experiencing symptoms of Meniere's disease, you may experience a pressure in the ears that the Mayo Clinic refers to as aural fullness. It can feel as though something is pressing on your ears from the inside. In some cases these bouts of aural fullness may immediately precede a case of vertigo.

    Secondary Symptoms

    • Because of the pressure in the ears, the tinnitus and the pain in the ears some people begin to show secondary symptoms of Meniere's disease. These symptoms include nausea, vomiting, depression, anxiety, fatigue and in some cases a feeling of complete exhaustion because the tinnitus or pressure in the ear may be keeping you up at night.

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