Post-Traumatic Meniere’s Disease (PTMD) is a type of disorder affecting the inner ear, exhibiting symptoms such as dizziness, fullness in the ear, tinnitus, and other changes in hearing. The disease is believed to result from either a disturbance of the fluid in the inner ear or bleeding within the inner ear.
What Are the Symptoms of PTMD?
Researchers have found that symptoms of PTMD often develop immediately after injury to the head or neck, but they can also begin to appear up to a year later. PTMD diagnoses increase in likelihood with the severity of the injury, along with the time symptoms began to show and the presence of certain preexisting conditions.
There haven’t been many reported cases of PTMD, but one reported case involved a 31-year-old man who reported symptoms such as ipsilateral aural fullness, right tinnitus, and recurring vertigo within a two-month period after getting involved in a car accident. The patient exhibited no other symptoms, but his hearing began to change over the course of a few days upon examination. Testing found that he had suffered from PTMD, and treatment began.
How Is PTMD Treated?
Patients can manage PTMD by incorporating certain lifestyle changes, medication, and symptom management strategies. However, in serious cases, surgery may be required. Some of the lifestyle changes that patients can practice include avoiding loud noises, quitting smoking, taking steps to prevent falls, and reducing salt intake, among others. To treat symptoms, many patients can find relief by lying in a dark and quiet space and closing their eyes.
In the case involving the 31-year-old patient, treatment entailed administering diuretics, vestibular suppressants, and steroid therapy. Following four months of treatment, the patient still experienced tinnitus, hearing loss in the right ear, and persistent vertigo.
What Can Cause PTMD?
There are several types of accidents that can cause PTMD, including car accidents, slip and fall accidents, and other types of impact incidents affecting the head and neck. Depending on the cause and whether another party’s negligence was behind the initial accident, patients with PTMD may be able to seek compensation for this and other types of injuries.
Generally, patients with PTMD can receive treatment and engage in lifestyle changes that help alleviate symptoms over time, but many cases can involve persistent symptoms that are more difficult to treat.