Meniere's Disease is a disease that occurs in attacks, manifested by ringing in the ear, buzzing, a feeling of fullness, hearing loss and dizziness. The resulting dizziness may persist for a long time. The patient may experience nausea and vomiting during the attack. Hearing loss is temporary in the first attacks, typically includes low tones, that is, deep sounds, and hearing returns to normal after the attack. However, as the number of attacks increases, permanent hearing loss can also be seen. In some patients, falls may occur without loss of consciousness.
The exact cause of Meniere's disease is unknown. It is thought that there is a 'swelling' in the structure of the inner ear called the endolymphatic sac. The most important element in diagnosis is the history, that is, what the patient tells. Hearing and balance tests can be used.
HOW IS MINIERRE DISEASE TREATED?
Treatment can be evaluated in two contexts: attack treatment and preventive treatment. In the treatment of attacks, if the patient has nausea and vomiting, he should be hospitalized and serum therapy, intravenous diazepam and diphenhydramine treatments can be given. After the attack, preventive treatments are given. A lot of research has been done on Meniere, many preventive treatments have been tried. The first step in treatment is lifestyle changes. The patient is advised to eat without salt, to quit smoking if he smokes, not to drink fermented beverages such as wine and beer, and to stay away from stress. Betahistine is the most commonly used agent in drug therapy. Good results have been reported recently with high-dose betahistine. Again, diuretic drugs called acetazolamide can be used to restore the salt balance in the inner ear, which is thought to be disrupted. This medicine may cause a decrease in potassium salt, so the patient should consume foods rich in potassium such as apricots, potatoes and bananas while taking this medicine, and should inform the doctor if tingling and numbness occur in his hands and feet.
If the attacks cannot be controlled despite these treatments, ear injection treatment may be considered. Here, cortisone or gentamicin injections are applied primarily to the middle ear in a patient with impaired hearing.
Surgical treatments can be applied in patients who do not benefit from drug treatments. Here we can talk about surgeries that preserve or not preserve hearing (Endolymphatic sac surgery, Vestibular neurectomy and Labyrinthectomy). As a result, the aim of Meniere's treatment is to keep the disease under control with lifestyle changes and drug treatments. Very few patients require surgical treatment.
