Meniere's Disease Research Paper

In this article titled, “Meniere’s Disease,” the authors state the definition of Meniere’s Disease

and the potential causes. Meniere’s Disease is a disorder of the middle ear that can cause tinnitus,

vertigo, and hearing loss. The hearing loss can be in one ear or unilaterally. The cause of

Meniere’s Disease is unclear in this article but is thought to be due to the swelling of the inner

ear. Doctors rarely see cases of Meniere’s Disease; only about 10-20 cases per doctor per year.

The symptoms of Meniere’s Disease usually only last about 5 to 15 yrs, but the lasting effects of

disequilibrium, tinnitus, and some hearing loss can remain permanently. To diagnose a patient

with Meniere’s Disease, doctors must first rule out the possibility of Vertigo. Since vertigo and

Meniere’s are similar, they can eliminate vertigo as a diagnosis by the length of the Meniere’s

episode.

Usual Meniere’s episodes can last from 20 minutes to several hours. Managing the

symptoms of Meniere’s would include diet and lifestyle changes, and a list of medications

including Betahistine, diuretics, and corticosteroids. Changes to a diet that are like those with

migraine treatments such as reducing cheese, caffeine, and alcohol consumption. In closing,

Meniere’s disease is a chronic hearing condition of the ear but not typically diagnosed until

middle to late age. Meniere's can be severe if the symptoms become worse or the disease if not

properly managed.

I enjoyed reading this article. I felt it was easy to read, didn’t use heavy medical terminology so

it was easy to understand and it painted a clear picture of Meniere’s Disease. When I think about

hearing loss, I have never associated Meniere’s disease to hearing loss. I now understand that

Meniere’s Disease stems from the middle ear which would explain the “vertigo-like” symptoms.

My friend's husband suffered from Meniere’s Disease, and he had severe vertigo where he

felt

everything was “upside down” and had tinnitus. He suffered for about two years and then all the

sudden, everything disappeared. I found it interesting that a lot of Meniere’s disease is in

questioned. They seem not to know what causes Meniere’s Disease and it seemed like they

didn’t exactly know how to treat the symptoms. They also refer to the treatments and prevention

measures as if they were treating only vertigo. Altogether, I felt it was a very informative article

and helped me understand this disorder.

Reference

Harcourt, J., Barraclough, K., & Bronstein, A. (2014). Meniere’s Disease. The BMJ 2014, 349:1-

36, 24-27. Retrieved from www.search.proquest.com