What is Labyrinthitis, symptoms, cure, remedies, causes and more

What is Labyrinthitis

Labyrinthitis is an inappropriate term, but widely used by people, to designate an infection in an ear canal – the labyrinth, composed of the cochlea and the vestibule – and which compromises both the balance and the hearing of the individual. The disease usually manifests itself after 40 or 50 years of age, due to metabolic changes in the body.

Labyrinthitis is mainly characterized by symptoms such as dizziness, imbalance, deafness or tinnitus. They occur because of the simple fact that if the cochlea or vestibule does not function properly, the brain receives erroneous information regarding the position of someone’s body in space, which may give them a feeling of rotation, fall or fluctuation.

The causes of Labyrinthitis

As much as the disease happens more often in middle age, anyone can be affected by it, given the number of factors that can cause it. See below what they are:

• Problems such as depression and excessive anxiety that arise as a result of traumatic events;
• Respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis;
• Viral infections of the inner ear;
• Viruses in the stomach;
• Herpes virus;
• Bacterial infections, including those of the middle ear;
• Infectious agents, such as the cause of Lyme disease.

Among all these causes, the most recurring ones are:

Viral Labyrinthitis

Practically half of the cases of viral labyrinthitis are due to infections in the chest, nose, mouth and airways that spread to the inner ear.

Bacterial Labyrinthitis

Rarer than the viral form, bacterial labyrinthitis can enter the labyrinth only if the layer of tissue that separates the middle ear from the inner ear is damaged. This usually happens if there is an infection in the middle ear or the occurrence of meningitis .

Emotional Labyrinthitis

Often the disease can be caused by emotional factors, such as anxiety or depression , and is characterized by a feeling of pressure and ringing in the ear, as well as lack of balance and dizziness. These symptoms tend to get worse when the individual is in situations of extreme stress or when making sudden movements with the head.

Risk factors

Precisely because labyrinthitis has several factors that trigger it, some others can help even more for the disease to develop. Find out what these risk factors are:

• To smoke;
• Drink large amounts of alcohol;
• Have a considerable history of allergies;
• Be normally fatigued;
• Always be stressed;
• Take any controlled medication;
• Excess coffee consumption;
• Having any of these diseases: hypoglycemia, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, otitis.

What are the symptoms of Labyrinthitis?

Labyrinthitis is characterized by symptoms such as vertigo and ringing in the ear. However, the disease can have other factors as well. Check out:

Visual changes

• See everything running around you;
• Difficulty fixing the eyes at a single point;
• Involuntary eye movements;
• Blurry sight;
• Darkened view;
• Photophobia;
• Eyelid shakes alone.

Changes in the perception of head and / or body movement

• Difficulty walking in a straight line;
• Dizziness when driving a car, looking sideways or upwards, crouching and getting up quickly;
• Feeling of being stepping on false;
• Body instability;
• Sensations of fainting.

Ear problems

• Auditory sensitivity;
• Buzz;
• Difficulty in listening.

Postural problems

• The head and neck are placed in an incorrect way more often, due to the presence of symptoms constantly;
• This incorrect position can cause pain in the neck, pain or cracking in the neck, shoulders, chest and arms and tingling in the fingertips.

Other symptoms

• Headaches or a feeling of heaviness / pressure on her;
• Difficulty concentrating;
• Affected memory;
• Constant clearing;
• Lack of air.

A patient may have only one of these symptoms described or more than one, associated. The acute phase of the disease can appear suddenly and last for minutes, hours or even days. Labyrinthitis does not usually cause people to faint , but it is advisable not to keep the body in a horizontal position so that the dizziness is not aggravated.

Diagnosis of the disease

If you suspect that you have the disease, it is advisable to consult with an otolaryngologist, specialist in diseases of the ear, nose and throat.

During the consultation, he will ask you some pertinent questions regarding the symptoms you have been experiencing. Eventually, an ear exam can be done on the spot, but it is rare that it shows any kind of problem. Therefore, the doctor may order some other tests to be sure of your diagnosis.

Among these exams are the following:

• EEG (Electroencephalogram);
• Electronystagmography;
• Computed tomography of the head;
• Hearing exams (audiology / audiometry);
• Magnetic resonance imaging of the head;
• Provoke heat stimuli in the ear to test the eye’s reflexes.

The performance of these tests is very important, because several diseases have similar symptoms and, in this case, they need to have their suspicions eliminated. Check out some of these diseases below:

• Hypoglycemia;
• Diabetes;
• Hypertension;
• Rheumatism;
• Mèniére’s disease;
• Motionless.

How to deal with

Having made the diagnosis of labyrinthitis, it is time to treat the disease. Usually, this treatment is divided into 3 parts and, most of the time, it leads to a cure.

Treatment of symptoms

As the main symptoms are dizziness and tinnitus, medications are used to eliminate them. In addition, rest is highly recommended. The duration of this treatment varies according to the factor that caused the disease and the patient’s sensitivity.

Treatment of the cause

In this treatment, the factor that caused the disease is investigated. Therefore, several risk factors are analyzed, such as metabolic, infectious, rheumatic and anatomical. After a clinical examination, the specialist may order hearing and balance, blood and radiological tests. In the case of emotional labyrinthitis, treatment will be carried out with the accompaniment of a psychotherapist, in addition to the use of medications that work to strengthen the patient’s emotional side.

Labyrinth rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is the physical therapy treatment performed to resolve dizziness. When the source of the symptom is difficult to control, rehabilitation offers positive results in about 80% of cases.

Remedies for Labyrinthitis

There are some remedies available on the market to treat the disease. Among those that have chemical formula and that are normally prescribed by specialists are:

• Betaserc ;
• Clopam;
• Cinarizina ;
• Dramin ;
• Dramin B6 ;
• Dramin B6 DL;
• Labyrinth .

Read more: What is the medicine Dramin for?

In addition to these, natural remedies can also be consumed for the improvement of labyrinthitis to occur.

• Ingestion of natural teas, such as the infusion of fennel, rosemary and cloves;
• Consumption of ginkgo biloba , as it has numerous substances that contribute to the functions of the blood vessels in the body.

Just be sure to consult your doctor before any use, as only he will be able to tell you if the use of any medicine will be effective in your case or not.

Attention!

NEVER self-medicate or stop using a medication without first consulting a doctor. Only he will be able to tell which medication, dosage and duration of treatment is the most suitable for his specific case. The information contained on this site is only intended to inform, not in any way intended to replace the guidance of a specialist or serve as a recommendation for any type of treatment. Always follow the instructions on the package insert and, if symptoms persist, seek medical or pharmaceutical advice.

How can I improve my hearing ability?

Many people suffer from hearing loss with each passing day, sometimes due to loud music or natural aging.

Until recently, it was believed that this loss could not be recovered, but recent studies prove that it can be reversed. For this, Hearing Guardian V1 software was developed in order to help these people recover their hearing capacity, in addition to reducing the frequency of tinnitus.

See below how it works:

1. Download the software for free (click here  to access the download page) and install it on your computer. It also has a version for tablets and Android phones, which can be downloaded here .
2. Perform the hearing test to detect damaged areas with hearing loss and / or ringing in the ear.
3. The program will detect the damaged areas and stimulate them with sound conditioning.
4. After 2 weeks you will experience an improvement in hearing ability and a decrease in ringing in the ear.

The improvement is scientifically proven and you can learn more about the process by watching the video:

Living with the disease

Studies show that staying active can help patients with labyrinthitis to improve. For this, homemade exercises can be practiced so that the notions of balance get better.

During crises, the recommendations are different. Through small practices, you can significantly improve symptoms when labyrinthitis attacks:

• Lie down and rest when symptoms appear;
• Return to the activity you were doing little by little;
• Avoid sudden and sudden changes in position;
• Do not read or try to read during a crisis;
• Avoid bright lights in your environment;
• Ask for help to walk;
• Avoid dangerous activities, such as driving or operating machines, within a week after the symptoms disappear;
• If the crisis persists, go to the hospital.

Complications

The most recurrent complication of labyrinthitis is permanent hearing loss, especially in children who developed the disease from a bacterial infection, such as meningitis. It is estimated that out of five children, at least one will develop some type of hearing loss, which can be partial or complete.

If hearing is severely affected, cochlear implants may be necessary. These devices are inserted into the ears to help improve the patient’s hearing.

How to prevent

For the occurrence of labyrinthitis to be prevented, some changes in your lifestyle are fundamental:

• Alcohol intake should be done in moderation;
• Avoid smoking;
• Maintain adequate control of cholesterol, triglyceride and blood glucose levels;
• Insert a healthy diet on a daily basis in order to maintain the appropriate weight;
• Practice physical activities;
• Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day;
• Avoid places with a lot of noise and people, always valuing their calm and tranquility;
• Manage anxiety crises and stress as much as possible.

Share this information with your relatives and friends. Their knowledge is essential for other people to know what to do in cases where the disease occurs.