Is Meniere’s Disease Affecting Your Hearing?
Dec 04, 2013
Hearing loss can be attributed to many things including aging, exposure to loud noises and illness. One of the illnesses that cause hearing impairment is Meniere’s Disease, and its more common than you might think. Is it affecting you?
What Is Meniere’s Disease?
Meniere’s Disease is an inner ear disorder that is most likely caused by an abnormal amount of fluid in the inner ear. Too much production – or not enough absorption – of fluid causes fluid to accumulate in the ear. The condition is made worse by allergies and autoimmune disorders.
Older Adults Are Affected
Meniere’s Disease is more likely to affect adults between the ages of 40 and 60, and the National Institute of Health estimates that almost a million people in the country suffer with the disease today.
Symptoms Of Meniere’s Disease
People with Meniere’s Disease suffer from attacks that are characterized by a few common symptoms. They include:
- Vertigo: Feeling like the room is spinning and losing your balance. Severe vertigo can cause nausea and vomiting.
- Hearing Loss: With Meniere’s Disease, hearing loss may come and go early in the disease, but most people with Meniere’s Disease will suffer some sort of permanent hearing loss.
- Ringing in the Ears (Tinnitus): Sounds like ringing, buzzing, whistling or roaring in the ears.
- Aural Fullness: Increased pressure or a feeling of fullness in the ears.
Hearing Assessment Can Detect Effects
One of the most important tests for someone with Meniere’s Disease is a hearing assessment, to see how well you can hear different sounds at different pitches, and how similar-sounding words are distinguished.
This test is important not just to assess how well you hear, but it can help determine if any impairment is caused by fluid in the inner ear, or by nerve damage between the inner ear and the brain.
Get Your Hearing Tested Today!
If you have any of these symptoms, it is important to seek out the help of a professional audiologist. Our experienced audiologists know how to handle hearing loss caused by illness, and they will work with you to test your hearing, and make sure you get the best care possible.
Are you (or a loved one) having difficulty hearing?
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