Ménière's disease

Recurring condition of the inner ear caused by an accumulation of fluid in the labyrinth of the ear that affects mechanisms of both hearing and balance. It usually develops in the middle or later years. Symptoms, which include deafness, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), nausea, vertigo, and loss of balance, may be eased by drugs, but there is no cure.

The vertigo and associated nausea of Menière's disease are often difficult to treat. Antihistamines, such as cinnarazine and betahistine, are effective in some patients. Surgical decompression of the fluid may relieve vertigo and prevent the condition worsening.

In 1998 the US National Institute on Deafness estimated that3-5 million people suffer with Ménière's disease in the USA.