Menieres Disease

1
Menieres Disease

• Presented By
• Megan Nicholas
• Nikki Tomaskovich,
• Tori Watts

2
What is it?

• A chronic condition which often leaves a person
  feeling exhausted.
• An inner ear disorder that causes one to
  experience periods of vertigo, dizziness, nausea,
  ear pressure, sensitivity to light and tinnitus.

3
What are the symptoms?

• Episodic rotational vertigo (attacks of a
  spinning sensation)
• Hearing loss
• Tinnitus (a roaring, buzzing, or ringing sound in
  the ear)
• Sensation of fullness in the affected ear

4
How can it effect a person?

• Inability to perform activities normal to their
  work or home life.
• Sleepiness may follow for several hours.
• An off-balance sensation may last for days.
• Forces the sufferer to lie down.

5
Is there a cure?

• To cure a disease means to eliminate the root
  cause of the disease and reverse the damage it
  has inflicted (on the inner ear, in this case).

6
Managing an attack

• Lay down on a firm surface
• Stay motionless
• Keep eyes open and fixed on a stationary object
• Dont drink water
• After spinning stops, get up slowly and sleep

7
Medications used between attacks

• Vestibular suppressants
• Calcium channel blockers
• Steroids (rarely)
• Immune suppressants

8
Reducing symptoms

• Hydrops diet regimen results in stabilization
• Diurectic medications helps regulate the fluid
  pressure in inner ear reducing severity and
  frequency of the episodes
• Other medications but most doctors find them
  ineffective or they only work sometimes

9
Surgeries

• Surgeries are a last resort because they are high
  risk

10
How does it affect my life?

• Make sure family and friends know that you may
  have an attack in their presence
• Protect yourself from injury by leaving a night
  light on and a clear path to the bathroom at
  night
• Stick to diet
• Avoid certain drugs such as aspirn

11
Causes of Menieres Disease

• It is associated with a change in fluid volume in
  the inner ear
• The membranous labyrinth, which is encased by
  bone, is necessary for hearing and balance and is
  filled with a fluid called endolymph

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Causes (cont)

• An increase in endolymph, however, can cause the
  membranous labyrinth to balloon or dilate, a
  condition known as endolymphatic hydrops
• Reasonable possibilities are obstruction of
  endolymphatic outflow at the endolymphatic duct
  level, increased production of endolymph, or
  reduced absorption of endolymph caused by a
  dysfunctional endolymphatic sac.

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Causes (cont)

• Herpes virus (HSV) antibodies are found more
  commonly in Meniere's patients
• There is some recent pathologic data supporting a
  viral cause
• About one in three patients with Menieres disease
  have a first-degree relative with Menieres
  disease

14
Causes (cont)

• about 60 of patients with Meniere's disease have
  serum antibodies for inner ear proteins. About
  10 of Meniere's patients have well documented
  autoimmune disorders
• Some Meniere's patients show evidence for a
  change in their immunity around the time of their
  attacks

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Causes (cont)

• 30 of patients with Meniere's disease have food
  allergy, and suggested that allergy may play a
  role in three ways that allergy may contribute
• The sac may be the "target organ" of mediator
  released from systemic inhalant or food
  reactions.
• Deposition of circulating immune complex may
  produce inflammation and interfere with the sac's
  filtering capability
• A predisposing viral infection may interact with
  allergies in adulthood and cause the
  endolymphatic sac to decompensate, resulting in
  endolymphatic hydrops
• there are clearly cases of post-traumatic
  Meniere's syndrome

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Causes (cont)