Meniere’s disease: What causes the dizzy spells
Spinal vertigo attacks and hearing problems are typical of Meniere's disease.
What are the causes behind it and what influence does the psyche have. / Meniere’s disease: What causes the dizzy spells
People with Meniere’s disease often experience (usually) violent attacks of vertigo. These are often accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, acute hearing loss and pressure in the ear. Such Meniere’s seizures can last from a few minutes to several hours.
Meniere’s disease: what are the causes?
The causes of the rotary vertigo attacks in Meniere’s disease lie in the inner ear. Anatomically, this consists of the so-called labyrinth. It contains the organ of hearing (cochlea, cochlea) and the organ of equilibrium (vestibular apparatus).
The labyrinth consists of two areas, the bony and the membranous labyrinth. The bony labyrinth is a channel-like cavity in the skull bone. The membranous (membranous) labyrinth, which is filled with fluid, the so-called endolymph, lies snugly inside.
The endolymph plays an important role in transmitting stimuli to the brain. Thanks to it, the balance organ registers changes in position and position and sends them to the brain when the fluid moves in the membranous labyrinth, stimulating the sensory cells. In the cochlea, too, the endolymph helps to perceive auditory stimuli when sound waves compress the liquid to varying degrees, thus stimulating the auditory sensory cells.
However, in people with Meniere’s disease, too much fluid accumulates in the membranous labyrinth (technical term: endolymphatic hydrops) and confuses the signals from the organs of balance and hearing to the brain. This in turn triggers the symptoms typical of a Meniere’s seizure, such as vertigo and hearing problems.
After a while, the fluid levels return to normal – and then the symptoms subside. It is not yet known exactly what causes too much endolymph to build up in the inner ear of those affected.
Why does Meniere’s disease occur?
It is not fully understood why some people develop Meniere’s disease and others do not. However, experts suspect that there is not just one single cause of Meniere’s disease, but that several factors could play a role:
Genetic component: In some cases, Menière’s disease runs in families, so a hereditary predisposition cannot be ruled out. It is not yet known which genes play a role in this. Likewise, whether these influence the regulation or the volume of the endolymph.
Sex hormones: In general, Meniere’s disease is slightly more common in women than in men. However, it is unclear to what extent hormonal influences are decisive in the development.
Autoimmune disorders: Meniere’s disease appears to be more common in association with various autoimmune disorders; this applies, for example, to rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus or ankylosing spondylitis. However, it is not yet known whether autoimmune processes also contribute to Meniere’s disease.
Viral infections: Some experts suspect that a disproportionate reaction of the immune system to a viral infection (such as herpes viruses) in the inner ear is the cause of Meniere’s disease. However, there is no scientific evidence for this.
Allergies: It remains to be seen whether isolated food allergies may play a role in Meniere’s disease.
Stress: Psychological stress seems to influence Meniere’s disease. Apparently, it can contribute to the fact that vertigo attacks occur more frequently and intensify the symptoms that are triggered.
Psychological causes of dizziness in Meniere’s disease
As the disease progresses, many people with Meniere’s disease also experience dizziness between attacks, usually vertigo. However, the causes for this are not in the inner ear, but in the psyche. Experts therefore also speak of a reactive psychogenic dizziness.
Many Menière sufferers are afraid of the next attack of rotary vertigo. The uncertainty about when the next seizure will come, but also about where it will happen and how severe it will be, is often very stressful for those affected. This fear can lead to the psyche itself causing such feelings of dizziness, which ultimately take on a life of their own. Dizziness is often accompanied by a feeling of anxiety. Physical symptoms such as palpitations, a dry mouth or sweating can also occur.
The psychologically caused dizziness occurs in particular in situations that are more or less similar to those in which rotary vertigo attacks have previously been experienced. Acute psychogenic dizziness is often scarcely less frightening than a “real” Meniere’s seizure. Since the underlying mechanisms are unconscious, the dizziness that occurs outside of the seizures is often difficult for those affected to understand at first.
