Living with Ménière’s disease can be challenging. This rare inner ear problem is associated with vertigo and hearing loss, making daily tasks incredibly difficult. We’re committed to helping our patients understand hearing and the various things that can affect it, so let’s discuss Ménière’s disease and its relationship with hearing health and hearing loss.
What Is Ménière’s Disease?
Ménière’s (pronounced like “men-yeers”) disease is an inner ear disorder, and it affects approximately 615,000 people in the US, mostly in adults between 40 and 60 years old. It occurs when fluid called endolymph builds up in the organs in the inner ear. These organs are the central organs of both the hearing (auditory) and balance (vestibular) systems, so this fluid buildup affects both hearing and balance.
The vestibular and auditory organs in the inner ear are interconnected and normally filled with endolymph, which is critical for collecting balance and auditory information and sending it to the brain. The excess of endolymph, however, can make gathering information difficult and alter the pressure within the organs.
What Are the Symptoms of Ménière’s Disease?
Symptoms of Ménière’s disease usually affect only one ear, though it may spread to the other if left untreated for too long. They’re also often episodic, with attacks lasting as little as 20 minutes or as long as 24 hours. The main symptoms are:
- Dizzy spells
- Vertigo, or a sense of spinning when standing still
- Hearing loss
- Tinnitus, or ringing in the ear
- A feeling of fullness or pressure inside the ear
How Does Ménière’s Disease Affect Hearing?
The organ in the inner ear that is responsible for hearing is called the cochlea. Sound waves travel down your ear canal and into the cochlea, where they then pass through the endolymph. The endolymph ripples when sound waves move through, and sensory cells lining the cochlea “read” these ripples to gather sound information and transmit it to the brain.
These sensory cells are calibrated to an optimum amount of endolymph. When there’s too much of it, the sensory cells will struggle to interpret sound waves correctly, leading to missed signals or distorted sound. The excess fluid will also cause the passages to swell slightly, which may create the impression of endolymph movement when there is none, leading to the perception of false sound (tinnitus).
How Is Hearing Loss Caused by Ménière’s Disease Treated?
There is no known cure for Ménière’s disease, but there are treatments available that can help manage symptoms and reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. Speak to your healthcare provider about lifestyle changes, medications and therapies that might help with your Ménière’s disease. Treating Ménière’s disease itself will help with its effects on hearing.
For treating hearing loss, you should consult an audiologist on what might help recover some of your hearing. A hearing aid for the affected ear has been shown to be highly effective for some, especially those with profound to severe hearing loss caused by Ménière’s disease.
For others, cochlear implants have also been helpful, as they bypass the inhibited cochlea entirely and send sound waves directly to the auditory nerve. This solution is useful if the disease has progressed significantly and caused immense damage to the cochlea.
If you’re interested in learning more about Ménière’s disease or methods of treating hearing loss, contact Wilmington Audiology Services. We are experts in ear and hearing health, and we want to keep you connected to the world of sound. Don’t let Ménière’s disease slow you down.