Symptoms of the disease include a feeling of fullness in the ears, tinnitus, and a gradual loss of hearing that develops over months to years. The disease is normally treated with diuretics along with the avoidance of salt and caffeine. A more current treatment is the use of Gentamycin by injection, the purpose being to destroy nerve tissue. This latter treatment is only recommended when a single ear is involved since one of the more severe side effects is deafness. Vertigo caused by acute labyrinthitis usually follows a severe viral infection.
Recovery usually comes after a few days or weeks.
Anti-nausea medications are usually prescribed at the onset, followed, as required, by corticosteroids and antiviral drugs. BPPV seems to be caused by tiny bits of debris that lodges in the semicircular canals of the inner ear and interfere with nerve transmission. The act of moving the head up or down forces those particles into the vestibular canals, leading to nystagmus and vertigo. Many people get severe attacks of vertigo, nausea, and loss of balance while rolling over in bed, sitting up, or looking up or down. Used under License.