ear, nose, and throat disorders
Meniere Disease
Symptoms of Meniere Disease
Symptoms of Meniere disease include sudden (acute), unprovoked attacks of severe, disabling vertigo and usually nausea and vomiting. Dizziness and Vertigo is a false sensation that people, their surroundings, or both are moving or spinning. Most people describe this unpleasant feeling as "dizziness," although people often also use the word "dizzy" for other sensations, such as being light-headed. These symptoms usually last for 20 minutes to 12 hours. Rarely, they last up to 24 hours. Before and during an attack, a person often feels a fullness or pressure in the affected ear. Sometimes sounds seem unusually loud or distorted. Hearing in the affected ear may be impaired after an attack of vertigo. Lower sound frequencies (hearing vowels) are harder to hear. Hearing tends to fluctuate but progressively worsens over the years. Ear Ringing or Buzzing , which some people describe as "ringing in the ear," may be constant or intermittent and may be worse before, during, or after an attack of vertigo. Typically, only one ear is affected. At first, symptoms may disappear between episodes. Symptom-free periods may last up to 1 year. However, as the disease progresses, hearing impairment gradually worsens, and tinnitus may become constant. In one form of Meniere disease, hearing loss and tinnitus precede the first attack of vertigo by months or years. After the attacks of vertigo begin, hearing may improve. 