Labyrinthitis is inflammation of the labyrinth, a maze of fluid-filled channels in the inner ear.
Vestibular neuritis is inflammation of the vestibular nerve.
Both conditions involve inflammation of the inner ear.
Labyrinths that house the vestibular system sense changes in the head’s position or the head’s motion.
Inflammation of these inner ear parts results in a sensation of the world spinning and also possible hearing loss or ringing in the ears.
Inflammation of these inner ear parts results in a sensation of the world spinning and also possible hearing loss or ringing in the ears.
It can occur as a single attack, a series of attacks, or a persistent condition that diminishes over three to six weeks.
It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, and eye nystagmus.
Labyrinthitis symptoms include temporary nausea, disorientation, vertigo, and dizziness.
Labyrinthitis can be caused by viral infections, bacterial infections, or physical blockage of the inner ear.
The cause is often not clear.
It may be due to a virus, but it can also arise from bacterial infection, head injury, extreme stress, an allergy, or as a reaction to medication.
Autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED) is characterized by idiopathic, rapidly progressive, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.
30% of affected people had a common cold prior to developing the disease.
Either bacterial or viral labyrinthitis can cause a permanent hearing loss in rare cases.
This appears to result from an imbalance of neuronal input between the left and right inner ears.
35 million cases per year.
It may be due to a virus, but it can also arise from bacterial infection, head injury, extreme stress, an allergy, or as a reaction to medication.
30% of affected people had a common cold prior to developing the disease.
Either bacterial or viral labyrinthitis can cause a permanent hearing loss in rare cases.
This appears to result from an imbalance of neuronal input between the left and right inner ears.
The main symptoms are severe vertigo and nystagmus.
The most common symptom for vestibular neuritis is the onset of vertigo that has formed from an ongoing infection or trauma.
The dizziness sensation that is associated with vertigo is thought to be from the inner ear labyrinth.
Rapid and undesired eye motion, nystagmus, often results from the improper indication of rotational motion.
Nausea, anxiety, and a general ill feeling are common due to the distorted balance signals that the brain receives from the inner ear system.
Other common symptoms include tinnitus, ear ache, and a feeling of fullness in the ear.
Some individuals report an upper respiratory infection, common cold, or flu prior to the onset of the symptoms, of vestibular neuritis.
Some cases of vestibular neuritis are thought to be caused by an infection of the vestibular ganglion by the herpes simplex type 1 virus.
An acute localized ischemia of these structures also may be an important cause of labyrinthitis.
Pressure changes such as those experienced while flying or scuba diving may labyrinthitis.
In the vestibular system, the three canals that are semicircular in shape that input sensory clues.
These semicircular canals allow the brain to sense rotational motion and linear motion changes.
The brain then uses the sensory input clues and the visual input clues from the vestibular system to retain balance.
The vestibulo–ocular reflex retains continuous visual focus during motion.
Treatment
The treatment for vestibular neuritis depends on its cause.
Symptoms of vertigo can be treated with vestibular rehabilitation.
Typical treatments include combinations of head and eye movements, postural changes, and walking exercises.
Exercises include keeping eyes fixated on a specific target while moving the head, moving the head right to left at two targets at a significant distance apart, walking while keeping eyes fixated on a specific target, and walking while keeping eyes fixated on a specific target while also turning the head in different directions.
By repeating a combination of head and eye movements during postural changes and walking, allows compensatory changes in the central vestibular system of the brainstem and cerebellum,
for these dysfunctions that arise from peripheral vestibular structures.
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy causes the brain to use already existing neural mechanisms for adaptation, neuroplasticity, and compensation.
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy is a highly effective way to substantially reduce or eliminate residual dizziness from labyrinthitis.
Rehabilitation strategies most commonly used are:
Gaze stability exercises – moving the head from side to side while fixated on a stationary
Habituation exercises
Functional retraining – including postural control, relaxation, and balance training.
Vestibular neuritis is generally a self-limiting disease.
Treatment with drugs is neither necessary nor possible.
Symptomatic treatment with antihistaminics can be used to suppress the symptoms of vestibular neuritis while it spontaneously regresses.
Prochlorperazine is another commonly prescribed medication to help alleviate the symptoms of vertigo and nausea.
Mood disorders can hamper recovery from labyrinthitis, therefore treatment may also include any co-occurring anxiety disorder or depression.
Recovery from acute labyrinthine inflammation generally takes from one to six weeks.
It is not uncommon for residual symptoms such as dysequilibrium and dizziness to last for a couple of months.
Recovery from a temporary damaged inner ear typically follows two phases:
An acute period, which may include severe vertigo and vomiting
approximately two weeks of sub-acute symptoms and rapid recovery
Labyrinthitis affects approximately 35 million people per year, at approximately 3.5 cases per 100,000 people.
Labyrinthitis typically occurs in those between 30 and 60 years of age.
There are no significant differences between male and female incidence rates.
In 95% of cases, sufferers experience a single attack and fully recover.
Vestibular rehabilitation showed a statistically significant increase in controlling symptoms over no intervention in people who have vestibular neuritis.
Labyrinthitis is inflammation of the labyrinth, a maze of fluid-filled channels in the inner ear.
Vestibular neuritis is inflammation of the vestibular nerve.
Signs and symptoms
Some people report having an upper respiratory infection of common cold or flu prior to the onset of the symptoms of vestibular neuritis; others will have no viral symptoms prior to the vertigo attack.
Acute localized ischemia of these structures also may be an important cause, and can also be brought on by pressure changes such as those experienced while flying or scuba diving.
The vestibular system, has three canals that are semicircular in shape that input sensory clues, allowing the brain to sense rotational motion and linear motion changes.
The brain then uses the sensory input clues and the visual input clues from the vestibular system to retain balance.
The vestibulo–ocular reflex retains continuous visual focus during motion which is also the vestibular systems job during activity.
Treatment:
The treatment for vestibular neuritis depends on the cause.
Symptoms of vertigo can be treated with vestibular rehabilitation.
Treatments include combinations of head and eye movements, postural changes, and walking exercises.
Exercises include keeping eyes fixated on a specific target while moving the head, moving the head right to left at two targets at a significant distance apart, walking while keeping eyes fixated on a specific target, and walking while keeping eyes fixated on a specific target while also turning the head in different directions.
The main function behind repeating a combination of head and eye movements, postural changes and walking is that through repetition, compensatory changes for the dysfunctions arising from peripheral vestibular structures may be promoted in the central vestibular system of the brainstem and cerebellum.
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy is highly effective to reduce or eliminate residual dizziness from labyrinthitis.
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy causes the brain to use existing neural mechanisms for adaptation, neuroplasticity, and compensation.
Rehabilitation strategies:
Gaze stability exercises
Functional retraining – including postural control, relaxation, and balance training.
Vestibular neuritis is generally a self-limiting disease.
Treatment with drugs is not necessary.
Symptomatic treatment with antihistaminics such as cinnarizine, however, can be used to suppress the symptoms of vestibular neuritis.
Prochlorperazine is another commonly prescribed medication to alleviate the symptoms of vertigo and nausea.
Because mood disorders can hamper recovery from labyrinthitis, treatment may also include any co-occurring anxiety disorder or depression.
Recovery from acute labyrinthine inflammation generally takes from one to six weeks.
Residual symptoms such as dysequilibrium and dizziness to last for a couple of months.
Recovery from a temporary damaged inner ear typically follows two phases:
An acute period, which with vertigo and vomiting and
approximately two weeks of sub-acute symptoms and rapid recovery