Menieres Disease

In 1861, French physician Prosper Meniere described a condition that now bears his name. Meniere's Disease (MD) is a disorder of the inner ear associated with a change in the volume of fluid inside a portion of the inner ear called the labyrinth, which includes the membranous and bony labyrinth.

Disease pathophysiology:

It causes episodes of vertigo, tinnitus (a constant noise in one ear, often described as a buzzing or humming sound), a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear, and fluctuating, progressive low-frequency hearing loss.Meniere’s disease is a disorder that affects the inner ear. The inner ear is responsible for your balance, as well as hearing.

Disease statistics:

In a review of 500 patients with Meniere disease, Paparella (1985) detected a 20% incidence of positive family history and suggested multifactorial etiology.The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders estimates that 615,000 people in the United States have Meniere’s disease. It’s most likely to occur in people in their 40s and 50s.

Disease treatment:

The diagnosis of Meniere’s disease should be based on a careful history and physical examination and on the exclusion of other diseases (AAO-HNS 1995). The diagnostic criteria used in the past and the more recent. According to the latest criteria (AAO-HNS 1995), only the classical form, including the whole triad of the disease (tinnitus, hearing impairment and vertigo attacks), is considered as definite disease. 

Major research on disease:

Dynamic Change of VOR and Otolith Function in Intratympanic Gentamicin Treatment for Ménière's Disease: The diagnosis must be established independently for each ear in order for a case to be considered bilateral Meniere’s disease. Otoneurological expert systems have been developed to help to collect data and to diagnose both central and peripheral diseases causing vertigo.