What is the difference between Meniere’s syndrome and otoliths

  Meniere’s syndrome, was first introduced by French physician ProsperMénière in 1861. The main pathological change of the disease is fluid accumulation in the membranous vagus, which is clinically manifested by recurrent episodes of rotational vertigo, fluctuating hearing loss, tinnitus, and a feeling of stuffiness in the ear. The disease mostly occurs in middle-aged and young people between 30 and 50 years old. Under normal circumstances, the otoliths are attached to the otolithic membrane, but when some pathogenic factors cause the otoliths to detach, these detached otoliths will swim in the fluid called endolymph in the inner ear, and when the head position of the body changes, the position of these semicircular canals also changes, and the submerged otoliths will move with the fluid. When the body’s head position changes, the position of these semicircular canals also changes, and the submerged otoliths move with the flow of fluid, thus stimulating the hair cells of the semicircular canals and causing vertigo.  There are some similarities between Meniere’s syndrome and otoliths, in that they both cause vertigo, and patients are sometimes unable to tell which one they have. Then how to distinguish Meniere’s syndrome from otoliths?  The duration of vertigo in Meniere’s syndrome is mostly 10 minutes or several hours, and the longest duration is not more than 24 hours; the duration of vertigo in otoliths is generally shorter, often less than one minute, which is only relative to the majority of tubular stones, and the duration of vertigo in a small number of crestal stones is often more than several minutes.  Different age groups: Meniere’s syndrome mostly occurs in middle-aged and young people aged 30 to 50; otoliths can occur in any age group, but it is extremely rare in young children and children, and it is usually seen in middle-aged and old patients.  The pathology of Meniere’s syndrome is different: the main pathological change of Meniere’s syndrome is the accumulation of water in the membrane vagus, however, it is difficult to explain how the accumulation of water in the membrane vagus is generated, and the known causes include the following factors: various infectious factors (bacteria, viruses, etc.), injuries (including mechanical or acoustic injuries), otosclerosis, syphilis, genetic factors, allergies, tumors, leukemia and autoimmune diseases, etc., which are not related to the human body. In contrast, otolithiasis is caused by some pathogenic factors that lead to the detachment of otoliths and the appearance of vertigo when the body’s head position changes.  The symptoms are different: typical Meniere’s syndrome has the following four symptoms: vertigo, deafness, tinnitus and a feeling of stuffiness in the ear; otolithiasis has no tinnitus and no obvious hearing loss when it occurs.  It is recommended that patients who experience vertigo should not delay their condition and go to the hospital promptly to have their condition diagnosed by a doctor and treated as early as possible.