Meniere's disease - under this name implies a certain syndrome, described in 1861 by French physician Prosper Meniere. Meniere's disease manifestations are described exhaustively in so much that over the next century only deepened some information regarding the characteristics of the defeat of the auditory and vestibular function.
Meniere's disease is characterized by a classic triad:
labyrinthine vertigo attacks the system, accompanied by nausea and vomiting
hearing loss in one ear
noise in the same ear.
Dizzy spells occur among full health, accompanied by sick, sometimes vomiting. As a rule, at the time of the attack amplified noise in the diseased ear, a feeling of fullness, and stunning. Objective sign of attack is spontaneous nystagmus, which disappeared shortly after the attack. At the time of the attack equilibrium is broken, often significantly, the patients tend to take a horizontal position, often with eyes closed. Any attempt to change posture leads to deterioration and increased nausea and vomiting.
Seizures occur at any time of day, but more often at night or morning. Provoking moment can be a physical or mental strain. Sometimes patients feel the approach of the attack for several hours or even days. It is often a harbinger of increased noise in the ear or a slight imbalance. Seizures may recur with varying frequency.
The majority of patients can clearly be seen Power phase of the disease: alternating with periods of frequent attacks of well-being. In the acute phase for a few weeks the attacks may be repeated several times, in between vestibular disorders is not completely disappear, and only subside. In remission, lasting for months or even years, the state is improved and patients are able to work. However, over time the attacks are becoming harder and even in remission remain general weakness, mild balance disorders, feeling of heaviness in the head.
There are three degrees of severity of Meniere's disease:
severe - seizures usually daily or weekly, duration of more than 5 hours, proceeding with all complex disorders, lost ability to work
Medium - fits too frequent, up to 5 hours after the onset of lost ability to work on as far as days, hearing loss constant
easy - attacks can be frequent and short-lived, in some cases with long-term, in a few months or years, intermittently, between bouts of work capacity is not reduced.
None of the symptoms of Meniere's disease is not characteristic only for this disease.
