Medical Questions » Ears Questions » Question No. 296
| Question: | For 30 years I have had giddy turns, which are sometimes associated with vomiting. At times I fall, and now have to use a walking stick. Attacks can last 3 to 14 days. I take Stemetil, but it' s not much use. What causes it and is there any cure? |
| Answer: | There are many causes of giddiness that may be responsible for your attacks, but the most likely is Meniere' s disease, which is an ear disorder.
The inner ear contains contains the small structures responsible for a hearing and balance. Meniere' s disease is due to a poor blood supply to these structures and results in nausea, dizziness, ringing in the ears and deafness. It may occur after a head injury or ear infection, but in most patients it has no apparent cause. It is more common in men, and becomes more common with age.
There is usually a build-up in the pressure of the fluid inside the hearing and balance mechanisms of the inner ear. The increase in pressure causes the distressing symptoms of the disease. Attacks of dizziness and nausea can come and go for no apparent reason, while the deafness is usually slowly progressive and permanent. The most distressing symptom is often the constant noise (tinnitus is the technical term) in the ear.
Unfortunately, treatment is not very satisfactory, and new drugs and devices are constantly being tried to give relief. Among the drugs, one called Sere (available on prescription only) which increases the blood supply to the inner ear has been successful in some people. Other drugs tried with varying success are various antihistamines, diuretics, prochlorperazine, amitriptyline and chlorpro-mazine (most are on prescription). None of these have more than a 50—50 chance of success but may be tried to see if they give relief.
There are also microsurgical techniques to help the sufferers of Meniere' s disease. These usually involve draining the high-pressure fluid from the affected parts of the inner ear, or as a last resort destroying the auditory nerve, leaving the patient deaf in that ear but without the distressing buzz saw noise.
Other possible causes for your symptoms are damage to the nerve to the ear, poor blood supply to the part of the brain responsible for balance, migraines (headache is not always present) and a side effect of some medications.
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