Meniere's disease is a condition in which there is damage to structures of the inner ear. While symptom severity varies from person to person, four characteristic features define the disorder, according to the website of Timothy C. Hain, M.D.: episodes of rotational vertigo, unilateral or bilateral hearing loss, unilateral or bilateral tinnitus, and a feeling of fullness or pressure in the affected ear or ears. Several causes have been postulated, and it may be that several separate causative factors lead to the development of Meniere's.
Infection
Herpes simplex virus is a commonly occurring infection in the general population, and some researchers have found a higher-than-average rate of herpes infection in Meniere's disease patients, implying a possible correlation between the virus and the manifestation of the disease in some individuals. A study published in the winter 2001/-002 newsletter of the National Temporal Bone Registry found herpes simplex DNA in the endolymphatic sacs---an inner ear structure---of 12 of 16 Meniere's cases, as opposed to two out of 26 controls. Another study published in the September 2002 journal "Laryngoscope" found herpes virus in 100 percent of Meniere's subjects versus 81 percent of a control group. Other infectious agents, including syphilis, are also believed to predispose susceptible individuals to developing the symptoms of Meniere's, according to Hain.
Autoimmune Conditions
Autoimmune inflammation of the membranes lining the inner ear canals has been implicated in Meniere's disease, and some studies support this as a causative factor. In a study published in the September 2004 journal "Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism," patients with autoimmune inner ear disease included 50 percent who were classified as exhibiting the signs and symptoms of Meniere's. Study subjects, who were aged 50 years, on average, had rapidly progressive disease with 79 percent of cases involving both ears. Another study, published in the December 2002 "Acta Otolaryngolica" found an increase in CD4 T cells---a type of immune cell---in Meniere's patients during an attack of Meniere's. The researchers claim this is the first documentation of an immune reaction concurrent with the onset of acute episodes of Meniere's.
Allergies
A higher rate of food and environmental allergies may be present in patients with Meniere's, according to a study published in the October 2010 "Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America." The study found that Meniere's patients reported higher rates of allergy history, both subjectively and via skin tests, and cites other studies in which dietary and immunotherapy treatment of Meniere's patients with allergies has shown positive results. One such study, published in the February 2007 "Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery" found that, of 113 study participants, 61.4 percent experienced stable or improved hearing as a result of allergy desensitization and diet therapy.
References
- Temporal Bone Registry: Herpes Simplex Virus DNA in Endolymphatic Sacs in Patients With Meniere's Disease
- Timothy C. Hain, M.D.: Etiology of Meniere's Syndrome
- "The Laryngoscope"; Herpes Simplex Virus and Meniere's Disease; J.T. Vrabec; September 2003
- "Acta Otolaryngolica"; Increased CD4+ T Cells During Acute Attack of Meniere's Disease; B. Mamikoglu; December 2002
- "Otolaryngolic Clinics of North America; Allergy and Its Relation to Meniere's Disease; M.J. Derebery, K.I. Berline; October 2010
