Meniere's an Ear Disease

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Meniere's an Ear Disease

Meniere's disease is disease of the ear. There are two types of Meniere's, classical Meniere's affects both the hearing and balance systems and there's also Meniere's that affects only the Cochlea, which is the hearing organ and only the Vestibular system of balance.

In the early stages of this disease many people experience sudden attacks of dizziness, nausea, ear ringing or tinnitus, and ear or head pressure. There may also be fluctuating or permanent, hearing loss. The dizziness they experience may take the form of vertigo or a feeling of lightheadedness, or an "about to faint" feeling. There may be a sudden loss of balance, sometimes referred to as a "drop attack". However, the Meniere's patient never actually passes out in most cases. These attacks may come and go, like they have a mind of their own. They may also accompany or trigger an anxiety attack. This may result in a variety of symptoms. There does seem to be common symptoms, with Meniere's. But not everyone will have all of the symptoms. Also, the duration and severity of the attacks will vary greatly from one patient to another. There may be remission periods of no symptoms. Periods of remission have been known to last for hours, or even many years.

In about 75 percent of Meniere's patients it only affects one ear. There is no real known cause for Meniere's. There are many theories, though. At least 10 percent of the time, it is an autoimmune response. The body's own immune system attacks the inner ear. Medical science does know that too much pressure causes the attacks in the inner ear systems. There may be several reasons for this such as too much fluid produced in the ear, spasms within the inner ear structure, a hypovascularity...

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...ay not believe that there is anything wrong with them. Support groups may be actual meetings or Internet.

Prognosis for Meniere's is very difficult to predict, because it can affect people so differently. There is the possibility of being disabled, due to balance system damage. Deafness is also a real possibility. Certain procedures can be a cure, under the right conditions. It is also possible, that a person can live with Meniere's and still function normally. The symptoms can be very frightful. Seeing a specialist and knowing about the condition is very important in learning to deal with it. It is also very helpful to talk to people that know what you are going through.

Meniere's in itself is not a fatal condition. Things could be much much worse. Knowing this and understanding limitations may go a long ways in coping, and living a happy and productive life.

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