Labyrinthitis and Vestibular Hypofunction

Labyrinthitis (also called Vestibular neuronitis) refers to a very sudden attack of vertigo and dizziness, which often comes ‘out of the blue’, possibly waking up with it one morning. It may be caused by a virus in the inner ear, but often patients do not feel unwell beforehand.

The vertigo is usually severe, with a feeling of the room spinning which last hours and even days, associated with nausea and vomiting, and affecting the ability to walk/stand. If very severe, patients may need to be seen in hospital as these symptoms can be similar to a stroke. There maybe a new hearing loss on the side that has been affected, possibly with tinnitus.

Anti-sickness medication maybe required if vomiting and dehydration occurs, but this does not cure the labyrinthitis, and once the nausea has settled it is advised to come off these anti-sickness tablets. There is good evidence that trying to return to normal physical activity and carrying out some balance exercises as early as possible, once safe to do so, can be very effective in improving how quickly and how well you might recover.

Unfortunately some patients do not recover fully after labyrinthitis and this leaves them with a weakness in their balance system which can make them have relapses every so often – these may occur during periods of other ill-health, fatigue or stress. This is called vestibular hypofunction and can be measured on formal Vestibular Function Tests. The treatment for vestibular hypofunction is balance exercises (vestibular rehabilitation) – your ENT consultant will discuss these with you and may recommend the input of a specialist vestibular physiotherapist.