MenieresInfo.com Blog

A reader asks:

I have had Meniere’s Disease since I was a child.  Ten years ago, when the vertigo became so bad that I could not drive, work, or sometimes even walk, I had IT (intratympanic) gentamicin treatments to stop it.  I have not experienced the spinning sensations of dizziness since then. I still feel slightly off balance, but I don’t get that whole world-revolving-around-me feeling any more. However, for the last month it seems like I am having a relapse of Meniere’s Disease, because I have frequent vomiting and upset stomach (but no spinning). My primary care doctor just keeps telling me I have a virus but I have had it since Halloween. I have had many recurring “ear infections” this year and I have been feeling horrible. Should I demand a referral to an otolaryngologist?

First, a reminder: we are patients, not doctors. Now, let’s jump to the bottom line. Every time someone asks, “Should I go to another doctor?” our answer is “yes.” So you ask, “Should I go to another doctor?” and our answer is “yes.” The question arises because the patient is not satisfied and wants to find another doctor with whom the patient will be satisfied. This strikes us as a basic right of a patient — the right to find a doctor with whom one is satisfied. Furthermore, we always recommend multiple medical opinions both for diagnosis and for treatment options — no matter what the symptoms are. Medicine is imprecise and medical opinions are just that — opinions. We recommend that one treat oneself as well as one treats one’s car. We get multiple opinions on our cars, don’t we? See: http://www.menieresinfo.com/doctors.html .

There are many types of dizziness.  The dizziness that is a symptom of Meniere’s Disease is specific and is called ”rotational vertigo” — the sensation that the world is spinning around one. In the absence of rotational vertigo, we could understand why a doctor would be reluctant to deduce Meniere’s Disease. Still, in between episodes of rotational vertigo, many patients experience varying degrees of imbalance. Nausea and vomiting are not symptoms of Meniere’s Disease. Nausea is a consequence of the symptom of rotational vertigo and vomiting is a consequence of nausea. See: http://www.menieresinfo.com/symptoms.html .

We can understand why a doctor would be reluctant to deduce Meniere’s Disease on the basis of nausea and vomiting in the absence of rotational vertigo or, said differently, in the absence of sufficient dizziness to cause the nausea that causes the vomiting. But we can understand why you would suspect Meniere’s Disease in view of your history.

You mention an “otolaryngologist” (an “ENT” (ear, nose, and throat) doctor). The medical specialty most closely associated with the diagnosis and treatment of Meniere’s Disease is a “neurotologist” (also known as an “otoneurologist”) — a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and conditions of the ear, the inner ear, AND of the 8th cranial nerve (the nerve that is involved with the symptoms of Meniere’s Disease). See: http://www.menieresinfo.com/doctors.html.

IT (intratympanic) gentamicin treatment works differently for each patient. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t. There are many different variations (protocols) of IT gentamicin treatment.  IT gentamicin treatment can have different purposes – for example, to destroy the tiny hairs that are the vestibular function nerve endings of the 8th cranial nerve, or to destroy the “dark cells” (yes, that’s what they’re called) that produce endolymphatic fluid. Some patients find that vertigo is reduced, and some of those patients find those results to be temporary and of varying durations. See: http://www.menieresinfo.com/treatment.html .

We’d put your situation this way. You’ve been sick and puking for nearly a month and your doctor isn’t helping you. Should you see another doctor? Absolutely! You’ve had recurring ear infections over the course of a year and your doctor doesn’t seem to know why or how to stop them. Should you see another doctor? Absolutely! We believe that one cannot go wrong with second/ third/ fourth/ etc. medical opinions.

Please let us know how it turns out. We wish you well.

A reader asks: 

I was diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease 40 years ago.  I lost all of my hearing in my left ear at age 5, and developed severe vertigo attacks that lasted about a week, and which occurred twice a year for 11 years.  At age 16, all symptoms abruptly stopped.  Now, 29 years later, and at age 45, I have developed floaters in the eyes, blurred vision, and dizziness 24 hours a day for the past five months, but only occasional attacks of vertigo.  The doctors are telling me that Meniere’s Disease is the cause of my problems, but I doubt this.  Can Meniere’s Disease reappear after 29 years?  If so, wouldn’t I have the same severe vertigo as before?

We haven’t found anything authoritative on the subject at PubMed, but we have heard anecdotal reports of Meniere’s Disease going into remission for as long as 30 years.  When it recurs (relapses), whether it must produce the same symptoms as before is beyond our information.  Meniere’s Disease is extremely variable and affects each patient differently.  See the MenieresInfo.com Prognosis Page.

What you are really saying is that you lack confidence in your diagnosis.  We always recommend multiple medical opinions until you receive a diagnosis in which you have confidence.  See the MenieresInfo.com Diagnosis Page and the MenieresInfo.com Doctors Page.

A reader asks:

I am trying desperately to become pregnant.  I am older and I feel like I am running out of time.  Due to difficulties getting pregnant, I am taking Clomid.  More expensive procedures, such as in vitro fertilization, are not within my reach.  However, when I take Clomid, I get terrible Meniere’s attacks.  Of course, the Meniere’s attacks affect my ability to be intimate with my husband in order to get pregnant.  My obstetrician doesn’t seem to understand how Meniere’s Disease works.  I can’t get in to see my Meniere’s Disease doctor for another month.  Does anyone else have this problem?  Is there any solution?

You are looking for people to share personal experiences, which is fine except that this blog is not a good forum for people looking to share experiences.  Try forums that are specifically aimed at coping and support.  Click here.

Originally posted January 31, 2006.
Comment added February 21, 2006.

A reader asks:

About 15 minutes before an attack of vertigo or dizziness, I get a sudden increase in the volume level of my tinnitis. When this happens, I drop everything and either go home if I am close or else have someone come and take me home — usually before an attack occurs in public. Do all Meniere’s Disease patients get such warning symptoms before an attack?

We didn’t find any studies at PubMed that establish a basis for warning symptoms preceding an attack of vertigo. (We reviewed the abstracts; it is possible that there may be more relevant information in the full texts.) However, we have seen many anecdotal reports of some patients who do get such warning symptoms every time, some patients who get such warning symptoms some of the time, and some patients who never get warning symptoms. In addition to increased tinnitus, patients report that increased fullness and sudden hearing drops can be warning symptoms of an impending attack of vertigo. Once again, we find that Meniere’s Disease affects each of us somewhat differently.

Added February 21, 2006.

A reader comments:

I have found that when the ringing in my ear becomes louder and more persistant along with an increase in the “fullness factor” and loss of hearing, I’m in for a spin.  I was in an extremely bad state before I had intratympanic gentamicin treatments two years ago.  It took almost a year before I actually saw a reduction in the number and severity of vertigo episodes.  Then I was essentially vertigo free for a year, although I occasionally had that “bouncy” feeling.  The vertigo has recently returned (always accompanied by the loud ringing), but not as severe as before.

This patient gets a “warning” before vertigo attacks, as do some other patients — but some patients get no warning at all.  On the gentamicin treatments — we are not doctors, but we don’t see any connection between gentamicin treatments at Point A and improved symptoms at Point B one year later.  We’d say that it is more likely that the gentamicin treatments failed to produce improvement and then the patient experienced a fluctuation or typical temporary remission a year later, followed by another fluctuation or typical relapse a year after that.

A reader asks:

I am a graduate student with Meniere’s Disease. My problem is that I can’t work as hard as I need to, because I get really tired. The department that I major in at school has been really kind to me, but I still can’t handle my studies well. I just don’t know what to do. I don’t even have confidence that I will ever catch up to my fellow graduate students.  I don’t think I can ask for more accommodations for my Meniere’s Disease from the dean.  What can I do?

About school.  You can ask for the same accommodations as any other severely ill student, such as students with multiple sclerosis (MS), attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), leukemia, ovarian cancer, and any other serious illness.  However, we know the feeling.  When people are not openly accusing us of shirking, they are wondering whether we are shirking, and one never knows when they will turn on us.  See the MenieresInfo.com Start Page and Disability Page.

No doubt some of what you are feeling is anxiety that the stress and fatigue will bring on an attack of vertigo.  Anxiety is not a symptom of Meniere’s Disease but, for many patients, it is a consequence of the symptoms of Meniere’s Disease.  If the fear of vertigo is greater than the likelihood of vertigo, there are anti-anxiety drugs to consider, although they are not without side effects that must be weighed.  Talk to your doctor.  Of course, if you fear vertigo, your fear may be well-grounded because of frequent vertigo attacks, and that is a different situation.

Depression is a common consequence of the symptoms of Meniere’s Disease.  Depression can manifest as fatigue.  This is something else to discuss with your doctor.

Talk to your doctor and get multiple medical opinions about diagnosis and treatment options.  We are fans of multiple medical opinions.  No doubt there are possible treatments that you have yet to explore.  Any one treatment may or may not help you in particular, but it’s worth exploring them to see which treatment works best for you.

The truth of the matter is that Meniere’s Disease can be so severe for some patients in your circumstance that a short term or long term withdrawal from school might become necessary.  However, we hope that for you that does not become necessary.

A reader asks: 

I was diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease several years ago, but I seem to be symptomless most of the time except for the ringing in the ears.  Recently, I have been hearing a “clattering” sound.  This sound is much more disturbing to me than the ringing.  Does this indicate a worsening of Meniere’s Disease?

We presume that you mean, “does this indicate that my other symptoms, especially vertigo (dizziness), are about to get worse”?  The honest answer is that we don’t know.  We know of no authoritative references one way or the other.

We assume you already know that Meniere’s Disease is progressive, but that the rate of progression varies among patients, some progressing rapidly and others progressing quite slowly, with lots of variations within those groups.  (Progression followed by short or long remissions, etc.)  See the MenieresInfo.com Prognosis Page.

A reader asks:

Does Meniere’s Disease result in any characteristic personality changes?

Our simple answer is “no,” but we’ll let you read the literature and come to your own conclusions.

Search PubMed here.

That said, some patients develop the following conditions, for rather obvious reasons:

Of course, some patients develop none of those conditions.

We, who are not doctors, speculate that factors include the severity of one’s Meniere’s Disease, the success in treating it, the nature of one’s employment, the support that one gets from one’s doctor, the support that one gets at work, and — perhaps most importantly — the support that one gets at home.

A reader asks:

What is a drop attack?

There is a degree of controversy surrounding the term “drop attack.”

Some Meniere’s Disease patients describe a “drop attack” as a sudden, acute, attack of vertiginous rotational vertigo so great that they fall down as the world swirls around them, usually followed by nausea from the rotational vertigo, which in turn is usually followed by vomiting from the nausea, but consciousness is not lost as in a blackout or fainting spell.

There is a phenomenon known as “Tumarkin’s Crisis” or “Otolithic Crisis of Tumarkin,” in which one suddenly drops to the ground for unknown reasons and without other symptoms and yet immediately stands up again and carries on with one’s business. Some people believe that this is the only true meaning of the term “drop attack.”

We believe that when one drops suddenly to the ground, then “drop attack” is an appropriate description, whether or not the drop happens to be an otolithic crisis of Tumarkin, and that it is an appropriate description of a sudden acute attack of vertigo due to Meniere’s Disease that makes one so dizzy that one falls down.

For more information on drop attacks, visit MenieresInfo.com here.

To search PubMed, click here.

A reader comments on her pregnancies with Meniere’s Disease:

I was diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease at age 29. I became pregnant with my first child at age 30. During my first pregnancy, I had episodes of feeling off balance, with tinnitus and hearing loss in both ears. I worked as a Medical Technologist during my whole first pregnancy and was able to perform my job with only minor problems.

I became pregnant with my second child at age 33. By this time I had chosen to be a stay at home mother for reasons having nothing to do with my Meniere’s Disease. In the 30th week of my second pregnancy, I had several severe vertigo attacks, with tinnitus and hearing loss in both ears. After delivering my second child, my attacks were less frequent and less severe.

I became pregnant with my third child at age 35. I never had a vertigo attack with my third pregnancy, although later in the pregnancy I had some episodes of feeling lightheaded and off balance, with tinnitus in both ears.

Now I have tinnitus on and off and I have fluctuating hearing loss. I have good days with one or both ears being clear, but symptoms do come and go. I have found that, for me, eating a diet low in carbohydrates and with lean meats seems to work well. I keep my cats outside and I have reduced most allergens indoors. I replaced most of my wall-to-wall carpeting with hardwood floors and I placed Berber rugs on top of the hardwood floors. Reducing caffeine does not seem to help me, so I drink coffee as I always did.

I will probably try for a fourth child in a year or two at age 38 or 39, with the belief that another pregnancy will be no different from the first three.

We are grateful for these thoughtful and detailed comments and encourage other readers to provide their experiences.

We previously posted on pregnancy here.

Remember that although the reader’s comments above are very encouraging, there are surely other patients who have had greater difficulties. Nothing is certain with Meniere’s Disease. However, as we have said before, we have not heard of a patient regretting a pregnancy due to Meniere’s Disease, but we haven’t heard of everything.

A reader asks:

I have been suffering Meniere’s Disease for three years. I went on a diet a year ago to lose some weight, and eventually lost about 25 pounds. Since then, I haven’t had a significant attack, I’ve been able to tolerate more salt in my diet, and I stopped taking diuretics. Can weight loss reduce the symptoms of Meniere’s Disease?

To search PubMed, click here. We didn’t find any articles on this subject one way or the other.

Can weight loss reduce excess endolymphatic fluid that is the prevailing (but not the only) theory of Meniere’s Disease? Dunno.

Can weight loss improve general health, both physical and mental, thereby reducing stress and improving the symptoms of Meniere’s Disease? Our sheer speculation in the absence of evidence one way or the other is, “sure.”

Could the improved symptoms be a coincidental fluctuation that is common with Meniere’s Disease or a temporary remission? That is always possible, given the fluctuating nature of the disease. One never knows.

But nothing succeeds like success and if it works for you, it works for you.

Glad to hear that you are doing better.

As always, we suggest that one talk to one’s doctor and get multiple medical opinions, both for diagnosis and for treatment options.

A reader asks:

I have been diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease. I have been with the airlines for twenty some odd years and specifically flew on a regular basis on turbo prop planes. I am just wondering if there is a connection.

Meniere’s Disease is “idiopathic.” The cause is unknown. The answer to every question that begins, “Is there a connection between Meniere’s Disease and . . .” is “no,” or, at least, “not that anyone knows.” If you knew what caused your symptoms, you wouldn’t have Meniere’s Disease. See the MenieresInfo.com Cause Page.

But who can help but wonder about flying? That “aural fullness” that comes with Meniere’s Disease — that awful “plugged ear” feeling that you can’t get rid of — it feels just like middle ear pressure as when you are descending in an airplane, doesn’t it? You can’t help but try to equalize the air pressure between the middle ear and the ambient pressure, can you? You hold your nose and blow — not too hard — and hope for a “pop.” But it doesn’t happen.

Even though aural fullness feels just like middle ear pressure, it isn’t middle ear pressure. Or if it is, it’s not due to Meniere’s Disease. If you have a dysfunctional Eustachian tube in addition to Meniere’s Disease, you might have real middle ear pressure. If you have a cold in which congestion blocks the Eustachian tube, in addition to Meniere’s Disease, you might have real middle ear pressure. But Meniere’s Disease does not cause middle ear pressure — it just feels that way. The way that you know this is because the Eustacian tube is a “vent” — a connection between the middle ear and the pharnyx. It equalizes the pressure between the middle ear and the ambient pressure, even if you have Meniere’s Disease.

A reader asks:

I have Meniere’s Disease. I have heard music from time to time for the past several years. Since December, I have heard music almost continuously. At first it was the same song over and over for about three days. Then the music changed. While at the airport I heard a Christmas song that I thought was coming over the intercom. When I realized it was the music in my head I ran from the airport. When I got to my parkedcar, the music was still going and it was very clear and loud enough I could even hear the instrumental parts. My ENT doctor said that I just think it is music. He said my brain realizes my hearing is not working and is making sounds that I interpret as music. I am still hearing music regularly 30 days later and it is not always the same song over and over. Occassionally I hear a song that I am not familiar with. Have you heard of this?

You could be describing musical hallucinations, and, if so, you’ll be glad to know that we have heard of this, and that you are not alone. Click here to read more from our recent post in response to a similar inquiry.

We are not doctors, so we cannot say whether you do or do not hear musical hallucinations. You sound skeptical of your doctor’s comments. We are firm believers in skepticism, and we always recommend multiple medical opinions, both for diagnosis and for treatment options.

A reader asks:

For a couple of years, I have had all of the symptoms of Meniere’s Disease, plus fever on the left side of the head but focused on the ear. When I recently moved to a city at a higher elevation, my symptoms were more pronounced during the drive. Has there been any research on the effect of atmospheric pressure on the symptoms of Meniere’s Disease?

Virtually all published research can be found at PubMed. You can search PubMed for connections between Meniere’s Disease and atmospheric pressure by clicking here. Virtually all current clinical trials can be found here. Forms of research not falling into these two categories can be difficult to find.

What you describe is a decrease in atmospheric pressure. Anecdotally, some patients have reported that increases in barometric pressure, as from an approaching storm, can trigger or exacerbate their symptoms. Avoiding one’s triggers, or at least, observing one’s triggers, can be an important part of treatment. See the MeniereInfo.com Treatment Page. Also anecdotally, most patients seem able to fly without problems due to pressure changes, and we don’t recall any anecdotal reports that patients have worsened or bettered their symptoms in the long term by simply moving to different elevations. One of the treatments for Meniere’s Disease is the Meniett Device, which introduces pulses of pressure into the middle ear.

All that said, it seems to us that atmospheric pressure, like almost everything else, affects us all differently, and that there have been no certain conclusions reached.

We don’t know what you mean by “fever on the left side of the head but focused on the ear,” but whatever it means, it is not one of the four classic symptoms of Meniere’s Disease. See the MenieresInfo.com Symptoms Page.

We recommend that you proceed with all possible haste to medical professionals for the purpose of finding out what is causing your symptoms and getting treatment. There are resources to help you to find a doctor at the MenieresInfo.com Doctors Page. The symptoms of Meniere’s Disease are also the symptoms of many other disorders. It takes medical professionals and a differential diagnosis to determine what might be the cause of the symptoms that are shared by Meniere’s Disease and other disorders. See the MenieresInfo.com Diagnosis Page.

A reader asks:

I have had rotational vertigo going on two months now and still getting worse. The second doctor that I have gone to thinks that I might have Meniere’s Disease. I have gone through the inner ear tests with no abnormalities and have a CAT scan and MRI scheduled. This doctor has recommended meclizine hydrochloride (Bonine and some other over-the-counter brands) and this greatly helps my nausea, but does nothing for my vertigo. My hearing is perfect, I have no tinnitus, and I have no aural fullness. I see that Menieres is progressive, but can it start with only one of the four “classic” symptoms?

This reader has one symptom: persistent, progressive, rotational vertigo. Although there are many definitions of Meniere’s Disease, the most commonly-used definition of “classic” Meniere’s Disease may be found here, which, generally, contemplates four fluctuating symptoms: rotational vertigo, hearing loss, aural fullness, and tinnitus. One of the reader’s doctors has remarked that the reader “might” have Meniere’s Disease.

We speculate that the reader (1) is desperately looking for a diagnosis, even Meniere’s Disease, and (2) is worried that it might be Meniere’s Disease.

As always, we recommend that our reader take one’s concerns to one’s doctor and discuss them. Often a patient’s concerns arise upon reflection and research after one has left the doctor’s office, and one needs to return to the doctor to discuss one’s concerns. We always recommend multiple medical opinions, both for diagnosis and for treatment options. This reader has seen two doctors so far. Seeing more doctors would not, in our opinion, be unreasonable.

The doctor’s remark that the reader “might” have Meniere’s Disease needs to be evaluated in its full context, to which we are not privy. Sometimes a doctor, faced with an uncertain diagnosis involving rotational vertigo, might say “might” with respect to Meniere’s Disease, since Meniere’s Disease for some doctors is the default diagnostic possibility when a more obvious or conclusive diagnosis is not handy. Sometimes a doctor will just make an offhand remark without intending the serious ramifications that a patient might well attach to the remark. In any event, a definitive diagnosis of Meniere’s Disease can only be accomplished by ruling out all other possible disorders having the same or similar symptoms — of which there are many. See the MenieresInfo.com Diagnosis Page, and the section on mimics.

There is no “typical” way that Meniere’s Disease begins. Each patient has one’s own story to tell. See our previous answer to a similar question here. For some of us with Meniere’s Disease, an initial acute attack is marked by all the symptoms. Others of us experience one or two symptoms first, and the other symptoms later. There is just no “typical” pattern, or at least no typical pattern that we have discerned or read about.

Vertigo alone, and vertigo in conjunction with the other symptoms of Meniere’s Disease and a whole lot of other disorders, can be difficult to diagnose. One must be patient while doctors go through the process of differential diagnosis to confirm or eliminate possibilities. With the one symptom of vertigo, there are many, many, many possible disorders about which to worry — Meniere’s Disease being just one of them. We suggest not worrying about any one possibility and instead focusing on getting the diagnostic tests that may help to further the differential diagnosis. (Once again, see the MenieresInfo.com Diagnosis Page.)

It is interesting that our reader is scheduled for both a CT scan and an MRI scan. Perhaps it would be too presumptuous of us to think that both scans are targeted toward the reader’s head. The usual (but not exclusive) choice would be an MRI scan, for the purpose of looking for, among other possible abnormalities, acoustic neuroma (benign tumor on the 8th cranial nerve), or plaque on the brain (which might suggest Multiple Sclerosis).

It is also interesting that our reader reports that meclizine hydrochloride helps one’s nausea but not one’s vertigo. It has yet to be determined that this reader actually has Meniere’s Disease. However, we should note that nausea is not a symptom of Meniere’s Disease. Nausea can often be a consequence of the Meniere’s Disease symptom of vertigo. Without vertigo, Meniere’s Disease patients are not expected to experience nausea. Meclizine hydrochloride is intended to treat vertigo by sedating the vestibular system rather than treat the secondary symptom of nausea, which in Meniere’s Disease patients is often treated with phenergan or compazine. However, meclizine hydrochloride does have antiemetic properties. See Dr. Hain’s information here and here.

A reader asks:

I have had Meniere’s Disease for over 20 years. Lately, I have developed a new problem: sometimes I hear music playing when there is no music playing. I hear the same song over and over. Recently, it has been Christmas music. I heard Silent Night until I couldn’t stand it. Today it was another song I heard at church, over and over. Right now, I am hearing Blue Christmas. Is this a symptom of Meniere’s Disease?

What you describe may or may not be “musical hallucinations.” We are not doctors and we have no idea whether what you are experiencing are or are not musical hallucinations. You should see the advice of a medical professional and, as we always recommend, get multiple medical opinions.

In any event, what you describe is not a symptom of Meniere’s Disease. See the Symptoms Page at MenieresInfo.com. There are only four symptoms of Meniere’s Disease, and what you describe is not one of them. Meniere’s Disease patients sometimes try to connect every symptom they experience to their Meniere’s Disease. However, one may have other disorders in addition to Meniere’s Disease.

Musical hallucinations sometimes occur in people with hearing loss or other circumstances. They are NOT the same as the auditory hallucinations that are experienced by schizophrenia patients.

It so happens that a fellow Meniere’s Disease patient describes essentially what you describe: David Copithorne over at HearingMojo.com. Click here to read his excellent article on the subject, which links to a very interesting New York Times article.

Originally posted December 22, 2005.
Comment added February 16, 2006. 

We received word today of this study, the abstract of which was posted to PubMed:

CONCLUSIONS: [Quality of Life] impairment is worse during a Meniere’s [attack of vertigo]. Out[side] of [attacks of vertigo], [Quality of Life] impairment is greater in patients with bilateral involvement.

One wonders how much money was spent on this study, which is a stunning confirmation of the obvious.

Comment added February 16, 2006:

A reader comments: 

I laughed when i saw your comment to the “Quality of Life” study during acute attacks of vertigo. No duh! Lol!  It does make one wonder how much money was wasted. OF COURSE one’s quality of life is severely impacted during the acute atacks of vertigo. My gosh, one doesn’t need a study to confirm that! :)

Updated January 13, 2006.
Originally posted December 22, 2005.

The Mercury, a large newspaper in the Australian state of Tasmania, reports here that an ambulance driver blacked out, causing the ambulance to crash, whereupon a patient in the ambulance died of a heart attack. The coroner found that the driver blacked out after an episode related to Meniere’s Disease, the implication being that Meniere’s Disease caused the blackout. But the coroner also found that the driver (who was, presumably, not autopsied since he survived the crash) had a blocked coronary artery which could have caused an insuffient flow of blood to the brain, “indirectly” causing a loss of consciousness.

It cannot be determined from the article whether the coroner is a doctor. (In the U.S., many “coroners” are elected positions for which being a doctor is not a requirement.)

However, loss of consciousness is NOT a symptom of Meniere’s Disease. See the Symptoms Page at MenieresInfo.com. Although some patients may describe “drop attacks,” the type of drop attack experienced by Meniere’s Disease patients is typically rotational vertigo so severe that one cannot remain standing, rather than the type of drop attack that renders one momentarily unconsious. In any event, Meniere’s Disease is not known to cause patients to black out.

However, it is certainly true that *some* (and far from all) Meniere’s Disease patients may experience acute attacks of rotational vertigo without prior warning, and that would be a problem when it comes to driving. The majority of Meniere’s Disease patients, based upon anecdotal reports, either do not experience such acute attacks of rotational vertigo so as to be a hazard to driving, or else experience sufficient indications of an approaching attack that would enable one to stop driving before the attack occurs.

Added January 13, 2006:

According to this news item, “Unconsciousness and drowsiness are not the features of Meniere’s disease.”