What Is Meniere's Disease?
Meniere's disease is a disorder of the inner ear that affects balance and hearing and includes odd sensation of movement (vertigo), dizziness, loss of hearing in one or both ears and ringing in the ear (known as tinnitus).What Causes Meniere's Disease?
Meniere's disease happens when there is a change in the fluid volume of a part of the inner ear called the "labyrinth." Possible causes include ear infection and head injury.Who Gets Meniere's Disease?
Usually it is adults in their 30s or middle aged adults. It is possible to get it in childhood, though.What Meniere's Support Websites Exist?
Several countries have large support sites. The support sites often have message boards, personal journals, mail lists and chat rooms.- Australia: The Meniere’s Resource and Information Centre
- Canada: Karin & David Henderson
- United States: Menieres.org
Support Groups for Meniere's
Yahoo has two groups for people with Meniere's.- Meniere's Disease Club - a large group
- Meniere's - Meniere's Disease Support Group - a moderately sized group
Treatment for Meniere's
Meniere's is not curable. Only the symptoms of Meniere's can be treated, either medically or surgically. For example, the hearing loss can be treated with hearing aids. People on the support websites and support groups frequently discuss methods of treatment.Books on Meniere's
Two key books on Meniere's are- Meniere's Disease : What you need to know by P. J. Haybach, Jerry Underwood.
- Meniere's Disease - A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography and Annotated Research Guide to Internet Ref.
Deafness Forum Threads on Meniere's Disease
From time to time, the subject of Meniere's Disease comes up on the About Deafness forum. Here are selected threads:- Inner Ear Fluid Leak thread - includes several messages on Meniere's
- Adult Deafness and Balance thread - includes discussion of Meniere's
- Meniers Disease - despite the mispelling, this is a long thread on Meniere's.
Do you have Meniere's and the hearing loss often associated with it? What is it like? How have you tried to manage it?
Sources:
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, accessed 07/19/08
NIH Medline Plus, accessed 07/19/08
NIH Medline Plus Encyclopedia, accessed 07/19/08
Earsurgery.org, accessed 07/19/08
