The symptoms of Ménière's disease vary from person to person. Initially, they tend to occur as sudden attacks that last a few hours.
You should 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.
Main symptomsThe 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 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 palpitations (rapid or irregular heartbeats).
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is usually more noticeable when you are tired or when it is quiet, as there is less background noise to distract you from the sounds that come from inside your body.
Examples of sounds you may hear include buzzing, humming, grinding, hissing and whistling.
Stages of Ménière's diseaseMénière's disease is often divided into early, middle and late stages.
However, the progression of Ménière's disease varies between individuals and you may not necessarily pass through each of these stages. In general, people experience more attacks during the first few years, and then as the attacks decrease in frequency over time, the hearing loss becomes progressively worse.
The stages of Ménière's disease are described in more detail below.
Early stageThe early stage of Ménière's disease consists of sudden and unpredictable attacks of vertigo. These are usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting and dizziness. You may lose some hearing during the attack, and there is often tinnitus at the same time. Your ear may also feel blocked and uncomfortable, with a sense of fullness.
Attacks of vertigo at this stage can last from 20 minutes to 24 hours, but usually last around two to three hours. Your hearing and the full sensation in your ear will usually return to normal between attacks.
Middle stageThe middle stage of Ménière's disease consists of continuing attacks of vertigo, with the attacks becoming less severe. However, tinnitus and hearing loss often become worse.
During the middle stage, you may experience some periods of remission (where your symptoms go away), which can last for up to several months.
Late stageDuring the late stage of Ménière's disease, the episodes of vertigo occur far less frequently and may stop altogether. However, you may be left with balance problems, and you may be unsteady on your feet, particularly in the dark.
Hearing problems and tinnitus tend to become progressively worse during the late stage of Ménière's disease.
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