Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
The cause of Meniere's disease isn't well understood. It appears to be the result of the abnormal volume or composition of fluid in the inner ear.
The inner ear is a cluster of connected passages and cavities called a labyrinth. The outside of the inner ear is made of bone (bony labyrinth). Inside is a soft structure of membrane (membranous labyrinth) that's a slightly smaller, similarly shaped version of the bony labyrinth. The membranous labyrinth contains a fluid (endolymph) and is lined with hair-like sensors that respond to movement of the fluid.
In order for all of the sensors in the inner ear to function properly, the fluid needs to retain a certain volume, pressure and chemical composition. Factors that alter the properties of inner ear fluid may help cause Meniere's disease. Scientists have proposed a number of potential causes or triggers, including:
- Improper fluid drainage, perhaps because of a blockage or anatomic abnormality
- Abnormal immune response
- Allergies
- Viral infection
- Genetic predisposition
- Head trauma
- Migraines
Because no single cause has been identified, it's likely that Meniere's disease is caused by a combination of factors.
- Flint PW, et al. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05283-2..X0001-8--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05283-2&uniqId=230100505-57. Accessed Aug. 31, 2012.
- Meniere's disease. Vestibular DisordersAssociation. http://vestibular.org/menieres-disease. Accessed Aug. 31, 2012.
- Dinces EA, et al. Meniere disease. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Aug. 30, 2012.
- Lalwani AK. Current Diagnosis & Treatment in Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery. 3rd ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=39. Accessed Aug. 29, 2012.
- Rauch SD. Clinical hints and precipitating factors in patients suffering from Meniere's disease. Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America. 2010;43:1011.
- Heart attack, stroke and cardiac arrest warning signs. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/General/Heart-Attack-Stroke-and-Cardiac-Arrest-Signs_UCM_303977_SubHomePage.jsp. Accessed Aug. 31, 2012.
- Meniere's disease. American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/menieresDisease.cfm. Accessed Aug. 31, 2012.
- Meniere's disease. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/balance/pages/meniere.aspx. Accessed Aug. 31, 2012.
- Potassium. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/potassium. Accessed Aug. 31, 2012.
- Sodium (salt or sodium chloride). American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyDietGoals/Sodium-Salt-or-Sodium-Chloride_UCM_303290_Article.jsp. Accessed Aug. 31, 2012.
- Neff BA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 18, 2012.
- Neff BA, et al. Auditory and vestibular symptoms and chronic subjective dizziness in patients with Meniere's disease, vestibular migraine, and Meniere's disease with concomitant vestibular migraine. Otology & Neurotology. 2012;33:1235.
Find Mayo Clinic on