What is "ear water imbalance"? Is this disease serious?

The disease of "ear water imbalance" has attracted widespread attention from netizens. In fact, the so-called "ear water imbalance" is medically known as "Meniere's disease", formerly known as "Meniere's disease".

What is Meniere's disease? Is it serious? Experts from the First Affiliated Hospital of Tsinghua University (Beijing Huaxin Hospital) provide you with detailed knowledge.

What is Meniere's disease?

Meniere's disease is an inner ear disease, and its vertigo is an otopathic vertigo, that is, vertigo caused by the ear. There are four main clinical symptoms:

1. Recurrent episodes of vertigo: rotating or swaying, lasting from 20 minutes to several hours, and no longer than 24 hours. The vertigo may completely disappear during the intervals, and the length of the intervals varies from person to person, ranging from several days to several years. There may be a sense of instability during the intervals, and the more times it recurs, the longer it lasts and the shorter the intervals.

2. Fluctuating hearing loss: Hearing loss is fluctuating in the early stages, and is mainly low- and medium-frequency sensorineural hearing loss. As the disease progresses, hearing loss gradually worsens, and hearing cannot return to normal or pre-onset levels during the intermittent period.

3. Tinnitus: It often occurs before the onset of vertigo. It starts as a continuous low-pitched sound of wind or running water, and then turns into a high-pitched sound of cicadas, birds, whistles or whistles. Tinnitus intensifies during the onset of vertigo and naturally eases during the interval, but it often does not disappear.

4. Feeling of fullness and distension in the ears: During the attack period, there is a feeling of fullness, heaviness or pressure in the affected ear or on the head, and sometimes a burning pain around the ear.

In addition, attacks are often accompanied by symptoms such as pale complexion, cold sweats, nausea, and vomiting.

How to understand Meniere's disease from the ear structure?

The ear is divided into three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The inner ear is located at the deepest part of the ear and is divided into the cochlea, the auditory organ, and the vestibule, the balance organ. The vestibule structure includes three semicircular canals, the utricle, and the saccule. The semicircular canals sense the rotation of the head, while the utricle and saccule sense the linear acceleration of the head. Therefore, the inner ear has the dual functions of hearing and sensing position changes.

The outer layer of the inner ear is a bone structure called the bony labyrinth, which is filled with perilymph. In the bony labyrinth, there is a "nested" membranous structure called the membranous labyrinth, which is suspended in the perilymph by means of fine mesh fibers, forming a sealed endolymph system filled with endolymph. When water accumulates in the membranous labyrinth of the inner ear, the endolymph is secreted excessively, or the normal absorption function is impaired, the inner ear will produce edema, affecting its hearing and balance functions, causing hearing loss, dizziness and other discomforts.

What tests are done to diagnose Meniere's disease?

Hearing test

Pure tone audiometry: tests hearing;

Acoustic impedance test: distinguish the location of hearing loss;

Glycerol test: to determine whether there is water accumulation in the inner ear;

Electrocochlear imaging: to determine whether there is water accumulation in the inner ear;

Brainstem evoked potentials: Differentiate between hearing impairment caused by inner ear diseases and auditory nerve diseases.

Vestibular function test

Electronystagmography: Assess vestibular function.

Imaging tests

Head CT or head MRI: to rule out vertigo caused by brain disease.

Etiological examination

Allergen testing, immunological testing, endocrine function testing, etc.

Can Meniere's disease be cured?

The specific cause of Meniere's disease is unknown. It is currently considered a lifelong disease with no cure. However, it is a controllable disease. 90% of patients with Meniere's disease can be treated with sedatives, diuretics, hormones and other drugs in the acute phase, and their symptoms can be relieved. Since Meniere's disease is a paroxysmal disease, patients only need to take medication when the disease occurs, and do not need to take medication continuously for life.

For very stubborn and severe recurrent vertigo, if conservative treatment or drug treatment fails for six months, surgical treatment can be performed. Such as endolymphatic sac surgery, semicircular canal packing, labyrinthectomy, vestibular nerve section. However, since labyrinthectomy is relatively harmful, it is recommended to choose carefully under the guidance of a doctor.

What should patients with Meniere's disease pay attention to in their daily lives?

Since environmental factors can induce Meniere's disease, adjusting lifestyle can help control the disease.

In daily life, patients with Meniere's disease should pay more attention to the following 5 points:

1. Low-salt diet: Endolymphatic hydrops is related to salt intake. Therefore, salt intake needs to be lower than the normal standard of 6g per day and should be reduced to 2g.

2. Control water intake: Be careful not to drink too much water every day.

3. Avoid dietary stimulation: Avoid the intake of caffeine products, tobacco and alcohol products.

4. Maintain a good work and rest schedule: Pay attention to self-regulation in daily life, maintain a good mood, maintain a regular work and rest schedule, avoid fatigue, and reduce the possibility of illness.

5. Pay attention to safety: Try to stay away from dangerous places and pay more attention to daily activities. Avoid the danger caused by sudden attacks of Meniere's disease. Pay more attention when climbing stairs, riding a bicycle, and driving.

Finally, I would like to remind everyone that if you experience repeated dizziness accompanied by hearing loss, tinnitus, and ear congestion, it is recommended to seek medical attention as soon as possible. For severe Meniere's patients, if not treated in time, not only will the dizziness not be effectively controlled, but the hearing will also gradually decline, so you must go to a professional and regular hospital for diagnosis and treatment in the early stage.