National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD): Improving the lives of people who have communication disorders.

The Basics: Ménière’s Disease.

Ménière’s disease, an abnormality of the inner ear, is a common cause of hearing loss. Symptoms include:

VERTIGO OR DIZZINESS, TINNITUS, FLUCTUATING HEARING LOSS, AND EAR PRESSURE OR PAIN.

What’s causing it?

The symptoms of Ménière’s disease are associated with a change in the fluid volume of your inner ear. Extra fluid in your inner ear can cause swelling. Experts believe that this swelling can rupture membranes in your inner ear, causing one fluid in your inner ear to mix with another fluid. The mixing of fluids may cause the symptoms of Ménière’s disease.

Other possible causes of the disease include what are called ‘environmental factors,’ SUCH AS NOISE POLLUTION and viral infections, and biological factors.

What will the doctor do?

To diagnose Ménière’s disease, doctors use several procedures:

a medical history interview and physical examination, hearing and balance tests, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a sophisticated technique that takes detailed pictures of the inside of the body.

Treatment.

There is no known cure for Ménière’s disease, but your doctor can suggest methods to control its symptoms, such as a change in diet or medicine. For patients with persistent, debilitating vertigo, doctors have successfully used surgery and an antibiotic to treat Ménière’s disease.

Your own voice may sound too loud. Your audiologist may or may not be able to correct this problem. Most people get used to it over time.

VS.

VA Schedule of Ratings for Disabilities. Under Diseases of the Ear, Diagnostic Code No. 6205.

6205 Meniere’s syndrome (endolymphatic hydrops):

Hearing impairment with attacks of vertigo and cerebellar gait
occurring more than once weekly, with or without tinnitus 100
Hearing impairment with attacks of vertigo and cerebellar gait
occurring from one to four times a month, with or without tinnitus 60
Hearing impairment with vertigo less than once a month, with or
without tinnitus 30

Note: Evaluate Meniere’s syndrome either under these criteria or by separately evaluating vertigo (as a peripheral vestibular disorder), hearing impairment, and tinnitus, whichever method results in a higher overall evaluation. BUT DO NOT COMBINE AN EVALUATION FOR HEARING IMPAIRMENT, TINNITUS, OR VERTIGO WITH AN EVALUATION UNDER DIAGNOSTIC CODE 6205.

Posted by Captain David Faggard, Air Force PA