Ménière's disease is an abnormality of the inner ear causing symptoms such as vertigo or severe dizziness, tinnitus or a roaring sound in the ears, fluctuating hearing loss, and the sensation of pressure or pain in the affected ear.
The exact cause of Ménière's disease is unknown, although the symptoms are associated with a change in fluid volume within a portion of the inner ear known as the labyrinth.(1)
One study examined whether sufficient water intake can control vertigo and hearing loss in patients with Ménières disease for whom conventional therapy had not been beneficial. A group of 18 such patients drank 35 ml of water per kilogram of body weight per day for two years. During the last six months of the study period their vertigo improved and there was a significant improvement in their hearing compared to the control group who received the conventional dietary and diruetic therapy. The results suggest that ensuring adequate water intake may be an effective treatment for patients with Meniere disease, but that larger studies are needed to confirm these results.(2)
Prepared: December 2006
(1) National institute on deafness and other communication disorders. Ménière's Disease http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/balance/meniere.asp
(2) Naganuma H, Kawahara K, Tokumasu K, Okamoto M. Water may cure patients with Meniere disease. Laryngoscopy. 2006;116:1455-60
