Four Symptoms Of Meniere's Disease

The Inner Ear

The inner ear which contains the a very important part of the hearing mechanism. This fluid-filled, snail-shaped cochlea purpose is to translate incoming sound waves into electrical signals so that the brain can understand its surroundings. The cochlea which is a Latin word for snailed-shell is a coiled, tapered tube containing the auditory branch of the inner ear. Its core component is the Organ of Corti, that is a cellular layer sitting on top of the basilar membrane for the sensory organ of hearing. The tube of the cochlea is divided into three chambers (upper, middle, and lower) that spiral around a bony core, the scala vestibuli the upper chamber, scala media the middle chamber or cochlear duct and the scala thmpani the
The symptoms of Meniere's are variable; not all sufferers experience the same symptoms. However, "classic Meniere's" is considered to consist of four symptom: Periodic episodes of rotary vertigo; Fluctuating, progressive, unilateral (in one ear) or bilateral (in both ears) hearing loss, often in the lower frequency ranges; Unilateral or bilateral tinnitus (the perception of noises, often ringing, roaring, or whooshing), sometimes variable; A sensation of fullness or pressure in one or both ears (Wilikepia,
There may also be an intermittent hearing loss early in the disease, especially in the low pitches, but a fixed hearing loss involving tones of all pitches commonly develops in time. Loud sounds may be uncomfortable and seem distorted in the affected ear. From all symptoms, vertigo is usually the most troublesome. It is commonly produced by disorders of the inner ear, but may also occur in central nervous system disorders. Vertigo may last for 20 minutes to two hours or longer. During attacks, patients are usually unable to perform activities normal to their work or home life. Sleepiness may follow for several hours, and the off-balance sensation may last for days. The symptoms of Meniere's disease may be only a minor nuisance, or can become disabling, especially if the attacks of vertigo are severe, frequent, and occur without warning. (The disease may end spontaneously and never repeat again. Some sufferers find that after numbers of years their vertigo attacks gradually become less frequent and less severe; in some patients they disappear completely. In some patients, symptoms of this disease will also disappear, and hearing will stabilize (though usually with some permanent loss). In some patients, however, symptoms may be unresponsive to