Meniere’s Disease in Children

What are the signs and symptoms of Meniere’s disease?

Symptoms of Meniere’s disease can occur by themselves or at the same time. Signs and symptoms of Meniere’s disease include:

• Vertigo (spinning dizziness) that begins and ends spontaneously, lasting 20 minutes to a full day
• Hearing loss that starts with low pitches but can progress to all pitches and different levels of severity
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears), usually described as a low-pitched roaring or whooshing
• Pressure or fullness in one or both ears

What tests are used to diagnose Meniere’s disease?

At Children’s Hospital Colorado, we’ve created the Pediatric Balance and Vestibular Disorders Clinic to help diagnose and treat conditions like Meniere’s disease.

Our otolaryngologists (ear care specialists) and audiologists (hearing and balance specialists) work together for comprehensive medical and vestibular testing to rule out other causes of dizziness and to look for the specific features of Meniere’s disease. We may recommend getting images from a CT scan or MRI to rule out other disorders. Since this disorder is rare in children, these exams usually lead to a diagnosis other than Meniere’s disease.

It’s helpful to keep a journal of your child’s episodes, including time and length of episodes and symptoms and events that may have triggered an episode. These details can help us make a diagnosis.

We follow diagnostic criteria established by the Committee for Classification of Vestibular Disorders of the Bárány Society, which is an international community of scientists and clinicians performing leading vestibular research.

Children meeting these criteria may receive a Meniere’s disease diagnosis:

• At least 2 spontaneous episodes of vertigo, lasting 20 minutes to 12 hours
• Hearing tests show low- to mid-frequency sensorineural hearing loss in at least one ear
• Fluctuating ear symptoms including tinnitus, hearing loss or ear fullness
• Providers have ruled out a different inner ear, balance or headache disorder

What can I expect from Meniere’s disease testing?

The first step is a vestibular evaluation, which may require a referral to our Audiology Services from your child’s doctor. This evaluation varies depending on your child’s age and developmental level and will last either 1.5 hours or 2.5 hours. Your child should also have a comprehensive audiologic evaluation to assess their hearing. We also recommend frequent monitoring so we can document any changes with their hearing or symptoms.

Depending on the evaluation results, we may refer your child to the Pediatric Balance and Vestibular Disorders Clinic for a multidisciplinary exam by doctors from Otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat), Audiology, Physical Therapy and Neurology.

How is Meniere’s disease treated?

Currently, there is no cure for Meniere’s disease. If your child is diagnosed with Meniere’s disease, we usually recommend a series of lifestyle changes to help reduce triggers and attacks. In some very severe cases, we might discuss surgical intervention. However, this would be extremely rare for children. Stress or anxiety can sometimes trigger Meniere’s disease attacks, so we may consider recommending mental health services and anxiety or depression medications.

People with Meniere’s disease can reduce the frequency of attacks by:

• Avoiding causes of distress or triggers
• Eating whole, nutritious foods rather than processed foods
• Reducing salt intake
• Maintaining a regular sleep and meal schedule
• Managing stress and anxiety
• Staying hydrated

Why choose us for treatment of Meniere’s disease?

The Pediatric Balance and Vestibular Disorders Clinic at Children’s Colorado specializes in conditions like Meniere’s disease in children. When children complain of imbalance or dizziness, it could be the result of many different conditions. Our dedicated clinic helps diagnose and treat the full range of conditions related to these signs and symptoms.

Children’s Colorado is the only hospital in the state that has an enclosed rotary chair, necessary for assessing vestibular disorders in children with developmental differences. Without this testing, it’s difficult to completely rule out inner ear disorders in some children.

Contacting us and making an appointment

Talk to your child’s doctor about your concerns. We usually require a referral to both Audiology and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Departments by a physician or advanced practice provider for vestibular testing and diagnostic exams.

We also want to ensure that the symptoms your child is experiencing don’t require urgent medical attention. You can discuss these symptoms with an ENT nurse and get advice by calling 720-777-8501.

Most of the time, we recommend vestibular testing to gather more information. If we recommend a vestibular evaluation, a scheduler will contact you to set up an appointment and provide additional instructions on how to prepare for the evaluation.