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DIZZINESS AND IMBALANCE: VESTIBULAR IMBALANCE OR DYSFUNCTION AND MENIERE\'S DISEASE
Vestibular imbalance or dysfunction
This occurs when the vestibular organ in one ear is giving faulty signals. The symptoms are a feeling that the world is spinning or rocking, nausea, and sometimes vomiting. Occasionally there may also be noises and/or hearing loss in one ear. There are many causes of this ranging from a simple mild virus to a condition known as Meniere\'s disease. If the cause is a single, one-off incident such as a virus or blow to the head, there will be a period of severe dizziness followed by several weeks or months of unsteadiness. During this time the imbalance and dizziness should gradually improve as the brain learns to adjust to the new information coming from the balance organ. The speed of recovery may be helped by exercises.
Meniere\'s Disease
This is a specific variety of vestibular imbalance caused by a disorder of the inner ear leading to repeated sudden attacks of extreme dizziness. These usually last between 30 minutes and several hours and there may be nausea and vomiting. In a typical case of Meniere\'s disease there will also be some hearing loss and a rushing or buzzing noise known as tinnitus in the affected ear.
The pattern of symptoms in Meniere\'s disease can be quite varied. Some people have repeated attacks of dizziness but no hearing loss or tinnitus, and this may be diagnosed as a \"Meniere\'s -like disorder\". The progress of Meniere\'s disease is also very variable. Some people have episodes of dizziness for a while and then periods when the dizziness ceases for months or even years. In some cases the dizziness will eventually clear up completely. Others have more persistent dizziness or unsteadiness. Most people have Meniere\'s disease in one ear, but it can develop in both ears.
The dizziness in Meniere\'s disease is due to changes in the pressure of the fluid in the inner ear which occur from time to time. This causes changes in the pattern of signals given out by the vestibular organ, and gradually the signal from the faulty vestibular organ tends to become weaker. The exact reason for these changes occurring is unknown but it is known that whenever any change in the signal from the vestibular organ occurs, the result is an attack of dizziness. In the periods when there are no changes the balance system can settle down again and the dizziness will improve, even though the signals from the faulty balance organ remain weak. During these periods the speed with which the balance system readjusts and any remaining unsteadiness clears up can often be increased with exercises.
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GENERAL HEALTH
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