What is Ménière’s disease?

  Meniere’s disease is an idiopathic disease of the inner ear, the exact cause of which is not very clear at present.  The first main symptom of Ménière’s disease is vertigo, which is a sudden, rotating vertigo, with some patients experiencing nausea, cold sweat, pallor, vomiting, etc. The duration of vertigo usually lasts from tens of minutes to several hours, with the longest period not exceeding 24 hours, with intervals in between. During the interval, the patient’s vertigo symptoms disappear significantly. But this kind of vertigo will come again and again, and the duration will be longer and longer, and the interval will be shorter and shorter. The 2nd symptom is hearing loss. Most of the patients’ hearing loss is more obvious during the vertigo attack, and when the vertigo symptoms disappear, that is, during the interval period, the patients’ hearing can be fully recovered or partially recovered. The third symptom is tinnitus. In some patients, tinnitus may come on before the vertigo attack, and when the vertigo attack occurs, the tinnitus suddenly worsens, and this tinnitus can be manifested as ringing, cicada sound, wind blowing sound, etc. The tinnitus can disappear in the interval, but in some patients, the tinnitus will persist. The fourth symptom is the stuffy feeling in the ear. Patients can have a distinct feeling of stuffiness, pressure or heaviness in the ear during vertigo attacks, and these symptoms disappear in the interval.  Since the cause of Ménière’s disease is not clear, treatment is not curable and is mostly symptomatic. The most common medications used are vasodilators, diuretics, glucocorticoids, and vitamins. Surgical treatment of Ménière’s disease is less common and is mostly considered when medication is not effective.  For patients with Ménière’s disease, it is important to eat a light diet with low salt; also pay attention to rest, avoid exertion, keep a relaxed mood, and if vertigo attacks, rest in bed to avoid falls caused by vertigo. In the interval, patients should strengthen their exercise to enhance their physical fitness.