Meniere’s disease

Ménière's disease is a rare inner ear condition that can affect your balance and hearing. There's no cure for it, but treatments can usually help with the symptoms.

It most commonly affects people aged 20 to 60, and it's slightly more common in women than in men.

Ménière's disease affects different people in different ways, and the symptoms can be mild or severe.

The main symptoms are:

• vertigo, the feeling that you, or the world around you, is moving or spinning
• tinnitus, hearing sounds that come from inside your body rather than from an outside source
• hearing loss, with a particular difficulty hearing deep or low sounds
• a feeling of pressure or fullness deep inside the ear
• feeling or being sick

Symptoms typically last around 2 to 3 hours. But it can take a day or two before they disappear completely.

At first, these symptoms usually affect only one ear. Over time, both ears may become affected.

Other symptoms include:

• sensitivity to sound (hyperacusis)
• distorted sound

You or your child:

• have any of the symptoms of Ménière's disease

There's no single test for Ménière's disease, and it can be hard to tell apart from other conditions that cause similar symptoms. Your doctor will ask you to describe your symptoms to see if there's a pattern.

For Ménière's disease to be diagnosed, you'll have had:

• at least 2 episodes of vertigo lasting 20 minutes or more within a single Ménière's disease attack
• tests that confirm that hearing loss is caused by damage to the sensitive hair cells inside the cochlea (the coiled tube in the inner ear)
• tinnitus or a feeling of pressure in your ear

Your doctor may also carry out a physical examination to rule out other possible causes of your symptoms. If needed, they can refer you to an ear nose and throat (ENT) specialist for further tests.

Ménière's disease can't be cured, but treatment can usually help with your symptoms.

The treatments doctors may suggest include:

• medicines to treat the symptoms and prevent attacks
• changes to your eating habits, such as a low-salt diet
• treatment for tinnitus
• treatment for hearing loss
• balance training (vestibular rehabilitation)
• relaxation techniques
• surgery, but only rarely, in more severe cases

Ménière's disease can also affect a person's mental health. If you're finding it hard to cope with what the condition is doing to your life, speak to your doctor. Support groups can help you too.

If you have vertigo, there are some safety issues to think about. For example:

• you should tell your employer if your job involves operating machinery or climbing ladders
• you may have a higher chance of falling, so read about preventing falls for advice on reducing your risk

If you drive, you must tell the DVLA about your vertigo. You can get more information on driving with vertigo on GOV.UK.

The exact cause of Ménière's disease isn't known. It's thought to come from a problem with pressure deep inside the ear.

Some things can raise your risk of developing the condition:

• a family history of the condition
• a chemical imbalance in the fluid in your inner ear