Can a blast wave cause Meniere's Disease?
Peter Hood
I've been lurking for a while and not seen an explicit reference to
such a cause.
Here is a history of the problem. During the war my mother was in
extremely close proximity to an explosion caused by a 1,000 (imperial
measure> pound bomb, during the Nazi bombing raids on Bristol, UK.
For a while afterward she experienced Tinnitus, which then gradually
faded, except for occasional bouts. Many years later <this would be
1982, so at least 37 years> she began experiencing the usual symptoms,
including ringing and hissing noises. Not long after this she
experienced dizzines, nausea, vertigo, and a number of drop attacks,
which became more and more serious.
Because the initial experience of Tinnitus was incurred as the result
of being at her post of duty <and thus not safely installed in an air
raid shelter> she now wants a war pension for her troubles. She _has_
seen a consultant, in support of her claim. However, she is not going
to be allowed access to her file, since the War Pensions authority
requested this examination, and claim that it is their 'property'.
Having read the FAQ I am aware that there is a line of argument to
suggest that repeated exposure <at the firing end> to artillery may
cause Meniere's disease. However, other than a number of more distant
bomb blasts, my mother's main experience was <as I say> of an
extremely close and fairly massive blast.
Can somebody please help me, either by emailing me or posting to this
thread? What I would like is a UK contact and/or some references.
The society that helps Tinnitus sufferers in the UK seem to be unable
to help, and I don't currently have access to Medline or Psychlit. I
am an experimental neurophysiologist, but know nothing at all about
ENT, and none of my books are any help either.
Finally, I suppose any suggestions that might help alleviate my
mother's discomfort might be helpful. As she is 76, radical ideas
such as surgery are to be avoided, not least because she faces two
separate operations for other problems. The FAQ mentions Ginko and
some form of sound therapy. Any views on these, or further ideas
would be gratefully received.
Thank you.
--
Peter Hood
Jim Chinnis
Peter Hood <Pe...@brentano.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>Here is a history of the problem. During the war my mother was in
>extremely close proximity to an explosion caused by a 1,000 (imperial
>measure> pound bomb, during the Nazi bombing raids on Bristol, UK.
>For a while afterward she experienced Tinnitus, which then gradually
>faded, except for occasional bouts. Many years later <this would be
>1982, so at least 37 years> she began experiencing the usual symptoms,
>including ringing and hissing noises. Not long after this she
>experienced dizzines, nausea, vertigo, and a number of drop attacks,
>which became more and more serious.
Meniere's symptoms can be caused by trauma. The resulting condition is
called delayed endolymphatic hydrops or secondary endolymphatic
hydrops. This should be in most ENT-related medical texts. I don't
think the underlying mechanism is well-understood.
>Can somebody please help me, either by emailing me or posting to this
>thread? What I would like is a UK contact and/or some references.
>The society that helps Tinnitus sufferers in the UK seem to be unable
>to help, and I don't currently have access to Medline or Psychlit. I
>am an experimental neurophysiologist, but know nothing at all about
>ENT, and none of my books are any help either.
I can't help you directly, but you might want to subscribe to the
Meniere's List and post a request there--there are Brits who read that
list every day. To subscribe, send an email to meni...@ears.com with
the subject field exactly as follows: SUBSCRIBE Peter Hood. You will
receive instructions by return email right away.
>Finally, I suppose any suggestions that might help alleviate my
>mother's discomfort might be helpful. As she is 76, radical ideas
>such as surgery are to be avoided, not least because she faces two
>separate operations for other problems. The FAQ mentions Ginko and
>some form of sound therapy. Any views on these, or further ideas
>would be gratefully received.
If her case is unilateral, there are several fairly simple treatments
that often work wonders. Gentamicin perfusion (from middle ear into
inner ear) will stop the vertigo. Even at 76, a brief course of
vestibular rehabilitation training usually eliminates most imbalance
that results. Dexamethasone perfusion is a very new treatment that is
curing some people and being tested here and there. You can find some
info on these from the Meniere's List and you can get copies of old
postings if you like.
>Peter Hood
Jim Chinnis
Manassas, VA USA
Daniel E Forant Sr
Hi: Believe me when I say many MD's do not understand the vestibular
system. At least as far as your type of problems are concerned. Of
course that blast could have caused your problems. Subscribe to
"meni...@ears.com" mail group, put subscribe in the subject box,
nothing in the body. Good mail group for vestibular knowledge.
Dan
ra...@knoware.nl (Cecile Delacour) wrote:
>Hi Peter,
>the story of your mother really ran a bell...
>Three years ago I was living in the suburb of Amsterdam, and a jumbo
>jet (yes a big Boeing 747 Cargo) from the Israeli company El-Al
>crashed in the building in front of our. The distance from the crash
>site was +- 100 meters. Since then I've experience tinnitus and
>serious dizziness. Examinations showed no visible abnormality (no
>dammaged ear drum) but I do have a rather serious nystagmus.
>Things have been getting better but I still occasionnally (especially
>in periods of stress) experience bad tinnitus and dizziness.
>No doctor is really taking my Boeing-story seriously, they say it must
>have been a coincidence...;-(
>Cecile
Cecile Delacour
1infr...@gmail.com
Doesn't take all the symptoms away, but eases nausea, and helps with slight dizziness. Ringing/hissing/roaring never goes away.
Sorry for no better news, but that's how it affects me.
Good luck with your Mom.
BTW, my age is 67.