Meiere's Disease Essay

Ménière's disease, also known as endolymphatic hydrops, is a disease that causes problems with hearing and balance. It most commonly starts between the age of forty and sixty and people suffering from Ménière's disease may encounter problems such as vertigo, tinnitus, which is hearing a buzz in you ear at all time, and hearing loss. Fifteen to one hundred and fifty seven cases of Ménière's disease are seen per hundred thousand people and 10% of these patients will have Ménière's disease in both ears. The condition variates in intensity from being a mild irritation to a lifelong frustration. The name Ménière's disease originates from the French physician Prosper Ménière who first published that vertigo is caused by an inner ear disorder in 1861.

The mentioned symptoms of Ménière's disease are caused by a buildup of fluid in the labyrinth in the inner ear. Abnormalities are formed in the volume or regulation of
People with Ménière's disease might have difficulty hearing the difference between words with similar sounds such as “meat” and “beat”.
Computed tomography (CT) or Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, which give physicians the ability to see inside your head as can be seen in figure 3.2. They can check for peculiarities in the brain and the inner ear as well, this is a technique commonly used to find tumors. However, in this case it can also help to find the cause of symptoms relating to Ménière's disease.
Electronystagmography (rotational testing), which are tests used to examine the balance system of the body. In a dark room, electrodes are placed around the eyes, as can be seen in figure 3.3, and after the ear canal is stimulated by changes in position the electrodes can measure the reaction of the inner ear. These tests use the nerve connection between the ears and eyes to give the physician the ability to see changes caused by the buildup of