Labyrinthitis is an inner ear infection. It causes a delicate structure deep inside your ear called the labyrinth to become inflamed, affecting your hearing and balance.
Symptoms of labyrinthitis include:
- vertigo – the feeling that the world is moving or spinning around you
- loss of balance
- the cochlea – this relays sounds to the brain and is responsible for hearing
- the vestibular system – a complex set of fluid-filled channels responsible for your sense of balance
- a bacterial infection, which is much less common
Who gets labyrinthitis?
The symptoms may be quite severe in the first week but usually get better after a few weeks. However, some cases can have much longer-lasting symptoms. This can have a major impact on a person's quality of life and their ability to do everyday tasks.
The labyrinth is the innermost part of the ear. It contains two important parts:
Inflammation of the labyrinth can disrupt both your hearing and sense of balance, triggering the symptoms of labyrinthitis.
The labyrinth usually becomes inflamed either because of:
Read more about the causes of labyrinthitis.
In most cases, the symptoms of labyrinthitis pass within a few weeks. Treatment for labyrinthitis involves a combination of bed rest and medication to help you cope better with the symptoms. In some cases you may need additional medication to fight the underlying infection.
A small number of people have persistent symptoms that last for several months, or possibly years.
These people will require a more intensive type of treatment called vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT). This treatment attempts to "retrain" the brain to cope with the altered signals that come from the vestibular system.
Most cases of viral labyrinthitis occur in adults aged 30 to 60 years old.
Viral labyrinthitis is thought to be a relatively common ear condition among adults. Other types of ear infections are usually more widespread in children.
One study found that around one in six people who visited their GP with symptoms of vertigo had labyrinthitis.
Bacterial labyrinthitis is much less common. Younger children under two years old are more vulnerable to developing bacterial labyrinthitis.
Bacterial labyrinthitis carries a higher risk of causing permanent hearing loss. It's estimated that one in three cases of acquired hearing loss are caused by bacterial labyrinthitis. Read more about complications of labyrinthitis.
Symptoms
The three most common symptoms of labyrinthitis are dizziness, hearing loss and vertigo – the sensation that you, or the environment around you, is moving.
These symptoms can range from mild to severe. For example, some people may only feel mildly dizzy and out of balance. Other people have reported that their symptoms of vertigo and loss of balance were so intense that they could no longer remain upright and were worried that they might have been having a stroke.
Hearing loss can affect one or both ears and can range from mild to total loss of hearing.
Other symptoms of labyrinthitis include:
- a feeling of pressure inside your ear(s)
- ringing or humming in your ear(s) (tinnitus)
- fluid or pus leaking out of your ear(s)
- ear pain
- feeling sick (nausea)
- being sick
- a high temperature (fever) of 38ºC (100.4ºF) or above
- changes in vision, such as blurred vision or double vision
Why am I so dizzy?
There are a number of things that sometimes make dizzinessworse, including:
- head movements
- colds or illness
- computers
- the dark
- small rooms
- crowds
- tiredness
- menstruation
- focusing on people
- sitting for periods of time
- walking
- being in shops and supermarkets
Avoid driving, using tools and machinery or working at heights if you're feeling dizzy and unbalanced.
Read more information about how labyrinthitis is treated.
Treatment
The treatment i am receiving is Vestibular Rehabilitation alongside taking Betahistine, its a long process, but i am slowly getting better.
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT)
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) is an effective treatment for people with chronic labyrinthitis. VRT attempts to "retrain" your brain and nervous system to compensate for the abnormal signals that come from your vestibular system.
VRT is usually carried out under the supervision of a physiotherapist and involves a range of exercises designed to:
- co-ordinate your hand and eye movements
- stimulate sensations of dizziness so your brain starts to get used to disruptive signals sent by your vestibular system and then ignores them
- improve your balance and walking ability
- improve your strength and fitness
No comments:
Post a Comment