33 Central Ave Midland Park NJ 07432

Meniere's Disease Treatment in Midland Park, NJ

Meniere's Disease Treatment in Midland Park, NJ

Ménière's disease is an inner ear disorder that typically begins in one ear but, over time, may involve both ears. The disease causes episodes of vertigo (the feeling of spinning) and tinnitus (ringing in the ear). Other Meniere’s disease symptoms including fluctuating hearing loss and the feeling of fullness or pressure in your ear. 

Ménière's disease may affect patients of all ages (though it usually starts between the ages of 20 and 50) and is considered to be a chronic condition. Despite the permanency of a Ménière's disease diagnosis, the condition is treatable and your symptoms can be improved if proper treatment steps are taken.

Due to the sometimes severe nature of symptoms, it is important to request treatment immediately upon experiencing Ménière's disease symptoms and refrain from risky tasks (such as operating heavy machinery) until proper treatment is sought. To schedule a consultation with a qualified healthcare provider in Midland Park that specializes in Meniere's disease treatment, call (201) 806-6099 or contact Dr. M.T. Shahab online.

Meniere's Disease Triggers

The symptoms of Ménière's disease are believed to be caused by an abnormal buildup of endolymph fluid in ear, which may be the result of a number of individual, or potentially a combination of, Meniere's disease triggers:

  • Improper fluid drainage, the result of blockage or anatomic abnormality
  • Abnormal immune response
  • Allergies
  • Viral infection
  • Genetic predisposition
  • Head trauma
  • Migraines

Meniere's Disease Diagnosis

If your healthcare provider suspects you suffer from Meniere's disease, a variety of tests may be conducted to confirm a Meniere's disease diagnosis, which could include:

  • A hearing test (audiometry) to evaluate how well you detect sounds at different pitches and volumes as well as how you are able to distinguish between similar-sounding words. Those with Ménière's disease may have problems hearing lower frequencies or combined high and low frequencies, while ability to hear mid frequencies may be unimpaired
  • Balance assessment, which could include:
    • Videonystagmography (VNG), a test which evaluates balance function by assessing eye movement using a pair of video goggles
    • Rotary-chair testing, similar to VNG, tests inner ear function based on eye movement, using a computer-controlled rotating chair which stimulates the inner ear
    • Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) testing, a test to show changes in the affected ears of people with Ménière's disease
    • Posturography, a computerized test which reveals which part of the balance system--vision, inner ear function or sensations from the skin, muscles, tendons and joints--you rely on the most and which may be causing problems
    • Video head impulse test (vHIT), a test using video to measure eye reactions to abrupt movements
    • Electrocochleography (ECoG), a test to inspect the inner ear in response to sounds
    • Tests to rule out other conditions, such as blood tests and imaging tests (such as MRIs)

Ménière's Disease Treatment

There is no one treatment for Ménière's disease, nor does a cure exist. Treatments generally focus on reducing the severity and frequency of the associated symptoms (such as for vertigo episodes). Your healthcare provider may recommend motion sickness medicines or anti-nausea medications to treat your vertigo. Patients may take diuretics (which helps reduce fluid retention) long-term to control the severity and frequency of their symptoms.

Additional noninvasive therapies and procedures to help patients with Ménière's disease include:

  • Vestibular rehabilitation to help vertigo-related imbalance
  • Hearing aid in the affected ear to improve your hearing if you experience hearing loss
  • Meniett device, which applies pressure to the ear canal through a ventilation tube. This device can help improve symptoms of vertigo, tinnitus and aural pressure

If these conservative treatments prove unsuccessful, your healthcare provider may recommend more aggressive methods, which could include:

  • Middle ear injections, in which medications are injected absorbed into the middle ear, to improve vertigo symptoms. These could include:
    • Gentamicin, an antibiotic to reduce the balancing function of your ear so that the other, unaffected ear assumes this role
    • Steroids to help control vertigo symptoms
  • Surgery, if the balance problem becomes debilitating, which could include:
    • Endolymphatic sac procedure to regulate inner ear fluid levels in order to alleviate vertigo by decreasing fluid production or increasing fluid absorption
    • Vestibular nerve secretion, a procedure to cut the nerve that connects balance and movement sensors in your inner ear to the brain (vestibular nerve) in order to correct the problems with vertigo while attempting to preserve hearing in the affected ear
    • Labyrinthectomy, a procedure in which your healthcare provider removes the balance portion of the inner ear, thereby removing both balance and hearing function from the affected ear. This option is recommended only if you already have near-total or total hearing loss in your affected ear

It is important that you report any of the above-mentioned Ménière's disease symptoms to your healthcare provider, who can best recommend a treatment plan that will take into account your current state of health and needs. Schedule a consultation with a qualified healthcare provider in Midland Park that specializes in Meniere's disease treatment. Call (201) 806-6099 or contact Dr. M.T. Shahab online.

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Medwell Orthopedics & Functional Medicine for Men & Women
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Address

33 Central Ave
Midland Park, NJ 07432
(201) 806-6099
www.BergenCountyDoctors.com

Hours

Mon: 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Tue: 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Wed: 8:00 am - 6:30 pm
Thu: 8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Fri: 8:00 am - 6:30 pm
Sat: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Sun: By Appointment Only

Areas We Service:

Allendale, NJ, Fair Lawn, NJ, Franklin Lakes, NJ, Glen Rock, NJ, Hackensack, NJ, Ho Ho Kus, NJ, Paramus, NJ, Ramsey, NJ, Ridgewood, NJ, Saddle River, NJ, Waldwick, NJ, Wyckoff, NJ, Hawthorne, NJ, Paterson, NJ