Meniere’s disease

Ménière’s disease is a rare disorder that affects the inner ear. It can cause vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and a feeling of pressure deep inside the ear.

People with Ménière’s disease usually experience some or all of these symptoms during sudden attacks, which typically last around two to three hours, although it can take a day or two for the symptoms to disappear completely.

It’s worth noting, however, that the symptoms and severity of Ménière’s disease vary widely from person to person. Some people may experience frequent attacks of vertigo along with hearing loss, while others may have severe tinnitus with minor vertigo. Other symptoms include sensitivity to sound (hyperacusis) or distorted sound.

See your GP if you experience any of the symptoms of Ménière’s disease, so they can try to identify the problem and refer you to a specialist if necessary.

Read more about the symptoms and stages of Ménière’s disease and diagnosing Ménière’s disease

Symptoms

The symptoms of Ménière’s disease vary from person to person. They often begin as sudden attacks, lasting for a few hours. Some people may experience several attacks each week or they may be separated by weeks, months or even years.

See your GP if you experience any of the symptoms of Ménière’s disease, so they can try to identify the problem and refer you to a specialist, if necessary.


The main symptoms of Ménière’s disease are:

vertigo – the sensation that you, or the environment around you, is moving or spinning tinnitus – hearing sounds from inside your body, rather than from an outside source hearing loss, with a particular difficulty hearing deep or low sounds a sense of pressure or fullness deep inside the ear

These symptoms usually only affect one ear at first, but both ears often become affected over time.

Vertigo and tinnitus are described in more detail below.

Vertigo

Vertigo is one of the most common and noticeable symptoms of Ménière’s disease. 

As well as a sensation of spinning, you may also experience additional symptoms during an attack of vertigo, such as dizziness, feeling or being sick, and problems with balance. You may have difficulty standing or walking. Occasionally, you may have “drop attacks”, where you suddenly fall to the ground.

During a severe attack, you may also experience sweating, diarrhoea and rapid or irregular heartbeats.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is usually more noticeable when you’re tired or when it’s quiet, as there’s less background noise to distract you from sounds coming from inside your body.

Examples of sounds you may hear include buzzing, humming, grinding, hissing and whistling.