MenieresInfo.com Blog

A reader asks:

My father’s doctor suspects that my father may have Meniere’s Disease. His symptoms began to appear shortly after he recovered from a severe infection of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF). The diagnosis of RMSF came after he had been ill for quite some time due to the fact that he didn’t develop the characteristic rash. I found some connections between Lyme disease and Meniere’s Disease on the web, but couldn’t find any cases where Meniere’s Disease was associated with RMSF. Could Meniere’s Disease have been caused or “triggered” by the RMSF?

Meniere’s Disease is “idiopathic” — the cause is unknown.  Nothing in the world is known to cause Meniere’s Disease.  See the MenieresInfo.com Cause Page.  We know of no “connection” between Lyme Disease and Meniere’s Disease.  Click here to search PubMed for “Meniere’s” and “Lyme.”  Lyme Disease and Meniere’s Disease can have the same or similar symptoms — along with bunches of other disorders, which is why the symptoms of Meniere’s Disease (which are also the symptoms of all those other disorders) require a “differential diagnosis” to figure out what is the cause of the symptoms.  See the MenieresInfo.com Diagnosis Page.  We know of no connection between RMSF and Meniere’s Disease.  Click here to search PubMed for “Meniere’s” and “rocky” (there are no hits).  Meniere’s Disease always follows something in life, but that doesn’t mean that the “something in life” caused it.  See the MenieresInfo.com section on the “post hoc ergo proper hoc” fallacy.

We always recommend multiple medical opinions, both for diagnosis and for treatment options.

A reader asks:

I am researching my family’s medical history, and I have found that there is an extremely heavy incidence of Meniere’s Disease, or at least symptoms of Meniere’s Disease, in the Scot line of my paternal grandmother.  It looks like nearly 50% of her descendents had it, but the incidence does not run in a direct line.  I believe my father had it, although it was not diagnosed.  My brother did not have it, but two of his three children do.  Is there a research group that is researching genetic connections pertaining to Meniere’s Disease?

The research to date shows that Meniere’s Disease is not hereditary, but that the incidence is higher in some families, for reasons not understood.  Thus, Meniere’s Disease is said to be “familial.”

We don’t know one way or the other whether there is any current research into possible genetic connections to Meniere’s Disease.  As far as we know, there is no repository of current research (other than clinical trials — click here and here).  The world’s largest repository of medical research, PubMed, is pretty much limited to completed studies that have been published.

Click here to search PubMed for articles on the hereditary or familial aspects of Meniere’s Disease.

Perhaps an astute reader can enlighten us further.

A reader asks:

As a young child, I had a mastoid in one ear. Thirty years later, I was diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease. Could the mastoid have weakened that ear and made it more vulnerable to eventual Menieres?

The mastoid is a bone behind the ear that is full of air cells, usually spoken of as “the mastoid bone.” Click here for images. Perhaps you mean to say that you had a mastoidectomy — the removal of a mastoid bone.

Meniere’s Disease is “idiopathic” — meaning that the cause is unknown. We haven’t seen anything in the literature that suggests that the mastoid bone — or lack of a mastoid bone — is implicated in the etiology (cause) of Meniere’s Disease, but, as we always say, we haven’t seen everything. Certainly the vast, vast majority of Meniere’s Disease patients have not had a mastoidectomy prior to developing Meniere’s Disease.

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 been taking anti-depressant drugs for over a decade, including zoloft, welbutrin, seroquil, and effexor. More recently, I received inoculations for hepatitis a and b prior to international travel. Just a few weeks ago, I developed symptoms consistent with Meniere’s Disease. Could the anti-depressants, or the hepatitis inoculations, have caused Meniere’s Disease?

Meniere’s Disease is “idiopathic,” meaning that the cause is unknown. Therefore, the question “can this cause Meniere’s Disease,” is always answered “no,” or, at least “as far as is known, no.” See the MenieresInfo.com Cause Page.

Many, perhaps most, people who have Meniere’s Disease have not taken anti-depressant drugs or received hepatitis inoculations prior to developing symptoms. (It is not unusual to develop depression in conjunction with Meniere’s Disease and thereafter begin taking anti-depressant drugs.) Surely many people have taken anti-depressant drugs long term and or have received hepatitis inoculations without developing Meniere’s Disease.

But this means nothing one way or the other as to whether you have Meniere’s Disease. Remember that the symptoms of Meniere’s Disease are also the symptoms of many other disorders. Only a differential diagnosis by medical professionals can determine which of the many possibilities is responsible for your symptoms. See the MenieresInfo.com Diagnosis Page.

Updated January 17, 2006
Originally posted January 16, 2006

A reader asks:

What is the relationship of microvascular compression syndrome (MCS) to Meniere’s Disease?

Microvascular compression syndrome (MCS) (also called vascular compression and neurovascular compression) occurs when a blood vessel is situated so close to a nerve that it contacts and presses upon a nerve.

Under various theories, MCS is either:

In any event, MCS can cause the same symptoms as Meniere’s Disease. It is treated by surgery, called “microvascular decompression” (MVD), in which the offending blood vessel is moved off of the nerve. A pad may be placed between the blood vessel and the nerve. Update: Some drugs may give symptomatic relief.

Read more about microvascular compression at these links:

MenieresInfo.com Cause Page
MenieresInfo.com Start Page
MenieresInfo.com Diagnosis Page
MenieresInfo.com Treatment Page
Dr. Timothy Hain
PubMed