Labyrinthitis is an inner ear problem marked by inflammation. Its swelling and irritation often develops after a bout with otitis media caused by a bacterial or viral infection that has spread from your head or respiratory tract.
Your labyrinth is a system of bony canals and cavities that are involved in hearing and balance. So, when the area is inflamed you’ll experience symptoms of vertigo and motion sickness, which are triggered whenever you move. And typically its onset is sudden.
Some other potential symptoms caused by labyrinthitis are:
- fever
- tinnitus
- earache
- dizziness
- nystagmus
- hearing loss
- ear discharge
- visual changes
- loss of balance
- difficulty focusing
- nausea & vomiting
- neck pain, stiffness
- ear fullness, pressure
Upper respiratory tract infection symptoms may precede your inner ear problem, but not always.
You can expect your labyrinthitis symptoms to be provoked or exacerbated anytime you move your head, sit up, roll over or look up. Also, some symptoms caused by this inner ear problem are similar to those of vestibular neuritis and Ménière disease.
The most common causes of labyrinthitis are an ear infection or an upper respiratory infection. The potential virus or bacteria infections that are known to instigate this ear problem include:
- e. coli
- mumps
- meningitis
- adenovirus
- pneumonia
- chickenpox
- tuberculosis
- common cold
- influenza virus
- coxsackievirus
- cytomegalovirus
- parainfluenza virus
- herpes simplex virus
- respiratory syncytial virus
- measles, German measles
Labyrinthitis may also be caused by, occur with or happen after:
- allergy
- cholesteatoma
- ear, head trauma
- polyarteritis nodosa
- benign middle ear tumor
- Wegener granulomatosis
Certain drugs taken at toxic levels may also be a cause for this inner ear vertigo and motion sickness problem, like:
Fatigue, stress and smoking raises your risk for a bout with labyrinthitis.
Labyrinthitis usually goes away on its own in a couple of weeks. However, the vertigo and motion sickness can be very debilitating. So you may desire drug treatment to reduce the impact of symptoms, for instance:
- valium ~ sedative
- antihistamine ~ inflammation
- antibiotic ~ caused by bacterial infection
- compazine ~ controls nausea & vomiting
- meclizine, scopalamine ~ relieves dizziness
- corticosteroid (prednisone) ~ caused by autoimmune disorder
Most of these will require a prescription from your health care provider.
A few self care remedies for relief that help prevent your symptoms from worsening encompass:
- avoid bright lights
- reduce salt & sugar in diet
- refrain from sudden position changes
- keep still & rest during symptom episodes
- no chocolate, coffee, alcohol, smoking, driving
- stay in an environment with little noise & stress
- drink ample liquids to prevent dehydration from severe vomiting
Most recover completely from this inner ear problem, although it may take as long as a month or more for the vertigo and motion sickness symptoms to disappear totally and your hearing to return to normal.