Ménière’s disease
La Meniere’s disease (or Ménière’s syndrome) is characterized by recurrent attacks of vertige which are accompanied by whistling and ringing ears (tinnitus) and hearing loss. Most often, only one ear is affected.
It’s about a chronic disease. The frequency of seizures is highly variable and unpredictable. Most people have a few seizures per year, but some have several per week. Between crises, periods of remission can last several months or even years. There is no cure for Ménière’s disease, but the symptoms can be relieved effectively in most cases.
La Meniere’s disease was first described in 1861 by a French physician, Dr Prosper Ménière, who gave it its name. |
Prevalence
Ménière’s disease most often appears around 40 to 60 years of age1, although cases have been described in children. It affects slightly more women than men. In Europe and North America, the prevalence ranges from 1 in 1 to 000 in 1, depending on the study.
Causes
The cause of the Meniere’s disease remains unknown. It is a disease affecting the inner ear, which is the deepest part of thehear which ensures hearing and balance. The organ of hearing, which is shaped like a snail, is called the cochlea (or snail). The organ of balance is called the vestibule (see diagram above). The cochlea and the vestibule are filled with a fluid called endolymph.
The symptoms of Ménière’s disease are thought to be caused by an excess of endolymph in the inner ear, referred to by the term hydrops endolymphatique. The excess endolymph increases the pressure in the inner ear, which prevents sounds from being perceived correctly and scrambles the balance signals sent to the brain. Thus, during a vertigo attack, conflicting information reaches the brain, as if the body is both still and in motion.
Scientists don’t know what causes theincreased pressure in the ear internal. Several hypotheses have been put forward:
– reaction to a head injury or certain infections;
– food allergy or intolerance;
– deregulation of the immune system (autoimmune mechanism).
For the moment, none of these hypotheses has been formally validated.
Evolution of the disease
The disease manifests itself by unpredictable crises whose frequency varies. During the first years of the disease, attacks of vertigo tend to intensify. Then, over time (from 5 years to 10 years), they become rarer and their intensity gradually diminishes.
At first, only one ear is usually affected, but almost half of people have symptoms in both ears after a few years.