ENT
CONDITIONS
Meniere's Disease
This disease is characterised by a triad of symptoms consisting of vertigo, deafness and tinnitus which occur at irregular and unpredictible intervals. Meniere was a French physician who described this disease in 1861.
Causes
Age: Usually it occurs over the age of 30 years.
Sex: Both sexes are equally affected, but it is slighlty more common in males.
Causative Factors
Vasospasm: Reduced blood supply to the labyrinth due to vasospasm is the most common likely cause.
Endolymphatic hydrops: There is increased tension of endolymph in the labyrinth, due to reduced absorption of the endolymph secondary to reduced blood supply. Water and salt retention in the body is sometimes considered to be the cause.
Emotional factors may casue sudden giddiness, but they may also be secondary to giddiness. Due to sudden spells of giddiness, patients may lose confidence and become emotionally labile.
Sympathetic system overactivity may cause vasospasm.
Hormonal disturbances may cause water and electrolyte disturbances in the endolymph.
Vitamin B complex deficiency is not an established cause.
Allergy and septic foci may be responsible for it.
Symptoms
Giddiness: The patient gets recurrent attacks of giddiness of sudden onset in spells of varying intensity, duration and intervals. It may range from mild dizziness or imbalance to severe vertigo which is usually rotatory in character.
Deafness: Sensori-neural deafness is always present and its intensity may fluctuate. It may increase with each attack. The patient may hear distorted sounds (diplacusis), and may have intolerance to loud sounds because of the phenomenon of recruitment.
Tinnitus may be continuous or may be present only during attacks. It may be more on the affected side. Sometimes daefness and tinnitus increase before the attack (aura).
Nausea and Vomiting may occur if giddiness is severe.
Perspiration, Gastric Upset and Diarrhoea are due to vagal stimulation, and severe giddiness may be accompanied by these symptoms. The patient may look pale and the blood pressure may drop.
Fullness: Often patients complain about fullness in the affected ear.
Headache is often present. Migraine may affect some cases.
Anxiety always accompanies giddiness.
Nystagmus: During an acute attack, horizontal nystagmus may be present.
Treatments
This condition can be cured by constitutional medicine of Homoeopathy. Deep acting homeopathic medicine acts on affected organs and immune system of the body. The symptoms are gradually reduced and disease is cured. Homoeopathic medications which helps in such patients are kali phos, conium maculatum, Silicea etc.
