Find information on thousands of medical conditions and prescription drugs.

Labyrinthitis

Labyrinthitis is a balance disorder that usually follows an upper respiratory tract infection (URI). It is, as the name suggests, an inflammatory process affecting the labyrinths that house the vestibular system of the inner ear. more...

Home
Diseases
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
Amyotrophic lateral...
Bardet-Biedl syndrome
Labyrinthitis
Lafora disease
Landau-Kleffner syndrome
Langer-Giedion syndrome
Laryngeal papillomatosis
Laryngomalacia
Lassa fever
LCHAD deficiency
Leber optic atrophy
Ledderhose disease
Legg-Calvé-Perthes syndrome
Legionellosis
Legionnaire's disease
Leiomyoma
Leiomyosarcoma
Leishmaniasis
Lemierre's syndrome
Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
Leprechaunism
Leprophobia
Leprosy
Leptospirosis
Lesch-Nyhan syndrome
Leukemia
Leukocyte adhesion...
Leukodystrophy
Leukomalacia
Leukoplakia
LGS
Li-Fraumeni syndrome
Lichen planus
Ligyrophobia
Limb-girdle muscular...
Limnophobia
Linonophobia
Lipodystrophy
Lipoid congenital adrenal...
Liposarcoma
Lissencephaly
Lissencephaly syndrome...
Listeriosis
Liticaphobia
Liver cirrhosis
Lobster hand
Locked-In syndrome
Loiasis
Long QT Syndrome
Long QT syndrome type 1
Long QT syndrome type 2
Long QT syndrome type 3
LSA
Lung cancer
Lupus erythematosus
Lyell's syndrome
Lygophobia
Lyme disease
Lymphangioleiomyomatosis
Lymphedema
Lymphoma
Lymphosarcoma
Lysinuric protein...
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Medicines

Labrynthitis causes vertigo, disequilibrium, and sometimes nystagmus beating away from affected ear. Hearing loss is commonly present in the infected ear. Nausea, anxiety and a general ill feeling are common due to the distorted balance signals that the brain receives from the inner ear. There are also sometimes cochlear symptoms such as tinnitus and hearing loss. It appears labyrinthitis is caused by a virus (the herpes virus has been implicated) but can also arise from bacterial infection, head injury, an allergy or as a reaction to a particular medicine. Both bacterial and viral labyrinthitis can cause permanent hearing loss, although this is rare. Prochlorperazine is commonly prescribed for all types of the infection, which helps with the nausea and sickness. Recovery from acute labyrinthine inflammation generally takes from one to six weeks, however it is not uncommon for residual symptoms (disequilibrium and/or dizziness) to last for many months or even years (Bronstein, 2002).

Labyrinthitis and Anxiety

Chronic anxiety is a common side-effect of labyrinthitis which can produce tremors, heart palpitations, panic attacks and depression. Often a panic attack is one of the first symptoms to occur as labyrinthitis begins. While dizziness can occur from extreme anxiety, labyrinthitis itself can precipitate a panic disorder. Three models have been proposed to explain the relationship between vestibular dysfunction and panic disorder (Simon et al, 1998):

  • Psychosomatic model: vestibular dysfunction which occurs as a result of anxiety.
  • Somatopsychic model: panic disorder triggered by misinterpreted internal stimuli (eg. stimuli from vestibular dysfunction), that are interpreted as signifying imminent physical danger. Heightened sensitivity to vestibular sensations leads to increased anxiety and, through conditioning, drives the development of panic disorder.
  • Network alarm theory: panic which involves noradrenergic, serotonergic, and other connected neuronal systems. According to this theory, panic can be triggered by stimuli that set off a false alarm via afferents to the locus ceruleus, which then triggers the neuronal network. This network is thought to mediate anxiety and includes limbic, midbrain and prefrontal areas. Vestibular dysfunction in the setting of increased locus ceruleus sensitivity may be a potential trigger.

Treatment

Because anxiety interferes with the compensation process, it is important to treat an anxiety disorder and/or depression as soon as possible to allow the brain to compensate for any vestibular damage. Acute anxiety can be treated in the short term with benzodiazepines such as diazepam, however long term use is not recommended because of the addictive nature of benzodiazepines and the interference they may cause with vestibular compensation and adaptive plasticity (Solomon and Shepard, 2002). Evidence suggests that selective serotonin reuptake inhinbitors (SSRI) may be more effective in treating labyrinthitis. They act by relieving anxiety symptoms and may stimulate new neural growth within the inner ear allowing more rapid vestibular compensation to occur. Some evidence suggests that viral labyrinthitis should be treated in its early stages with corticosteroids such as prednisone, and possibly antiviral medication such as Valtrex and that this treatment should be undertaken as soon as possible to prevent permanent damage to the inner ear.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


[List your site here Free!]


Hemorrhagic labyrinthitis - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included
From Ear, Nose & Throat Journal, 2/1/00 by Enrique Palacios

Acute labyrinthitis can be caused by a variety of factors, such as toxicity, suppurative and viral infections, and autoimmune disorders. Symptoms can also be produced by neoplastic processes. The hallmark of all types of labyrinthitis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRJ) is enhancement of the membranous labyrinth on T1-weighted images following the administration of intravenous contrast medium (gadolinium). [1]

In the case presented here, a 25-year-old woman complained of symptoms of acute labyrinthitis, which manifested as a sudden and acute hearing loss accompanied by vertigo. Her case is unusual in that the T1-weighted MRI without contrast revealed diffuse, increased signal intensity throughout the membranous labyrinth, which extended into the endolymphatic sac (figure). Such a finding is consistent with a hemorrhagic process. Methemoglobin, with its shortT1 relaxation time on T1-weighted imaging, is easily identified in the membranous labyrinth because of the distinct contrast between it and the surrounding bony signal void of the otic capsule. [2] However, the high intensity of the hemorrhage in the labyrinth should be differentiated from lipomatous and proteinaceous material.

Labyrinthine hemorrhage occurs most often in trauma. However, in some cases, labyrinthitis in the acute stage may be hemorrhagic as well. Coagulopathies and neo-plastic processes are also unusual causes of labyrinthine hemorrhage.

From the Department of Radiology, MacNeal Hospital, Berwyn, Ill.

References

(1.) Valvassori GE, Buckingham RA. Acute otitis media, mastoiditis and malignant necrotizing external otitis. In: Valvassori GE, Mafee MF, Carter BL, eds, Imaging of the Head and Neck. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers, 1995:67-74.

(2.) Weissman JL, Curtin HD, Hirsch BE, Hirsch WL Jr. High signal from the otic labyrinth on unenhanced magnetic resonance imaging. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 1992;13:1183-7.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Medquest Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group

Return to Labyrinthitis
Home Contact Resources Exchange Links ebay