Hereditary

Discussion in 'Your Living Room' started by maddigrace, Sep 28, 2006.

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  1. Linda1002

    Linda1002 New Member

    Cheese - The thing is, a huge number of people have herpes simplex virus. My entire family has it. And almost every member of my family has trouble of some sort with their ears......but I'm still the only one with Meniere's.

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    About 80 percent of American adults have oral herpes (cold sores).

    Taken from here:

    http://www.globalherbalsupplies.com/herpes/stats.html
     
  2. cheese

    cheese New Member

    I suppose you're right Lynda. Alot of people do carry the virus, and alot unknowingly. But in my uneducated opiinion, it's hard for me to believe that a viral link exists when in some instances the diseases is so clearly a familial trait.

    But then again, I have no idea of the ins and outs of how a virus manifests, and maybe it is a familial genetic trait that leaves our labrynths more open to attack from pathogens, like the herpes simplex.


    I suppose it's kind of like people who are administored IV Gentamicin to treat hospitalised infections. Why is it that only some lose vestibular function, while others don't. I don't know if any of you have heard of the blood brain barrier, but it is a type of membrane that surrounds our brain to stop pathogens infecting it ....It's the reason that meningitis can be so hard to treat, because the barrier can stop the anti-biotic from reaching effected parts of the brain ......maybe there is a similar vestibular barrier that is compromised in people with meniere's ....and maybe that it is what is passed on through families

    Of course this is just a thought, and is almost certainly bullshit ;D
     
  3. Linda1002

    Linda1002 New Member

    Who knows, cheese. Your guess is as good as mine.
     
  4. SpinininOhio

    SpinininOhio New Member

    Evidently there is solid proof that it can be at least familial (runs in families, but not necessarily hereditary - can be due to same environment).

    My dad had a short ailment with severe symptoms (passed out a few times with dizziness etc.). My mom had undiagnosed Meniere's - all of the symptoms. Before anyone in our family knew anything about Meniere's she would say some sounds just 'bored right into her head' (recruitment), she had tinnitus, pressure, imbalance, dizziness, hearing loss, difficulty in loud/confusing places - no major five hour/throwing up vertigo attacks though.

    I am intrigued by this viral theory - that is 'caused' by the Herpes virus that causes singles and chicken pox - as we all had chicken pox and my dad had severe shingles.

    SpinininOhio
     
  5. dizibizi

    dizibizi New Member

    both my parents come from large families..6 siblings each..and there parents as well from larger families..no one has ever had anything even remotely like i do..I am the only one ???...so i haven't bought into the family or hereditary thing as of yet..I must just be an oddball if it is hereditary...unless it starts with me and then becomes a familial thing..lets hope not i wouldn't wish this on anyone!
    its interesting tho and am curious as to the stats on the incidence of family members having it as well.
     
  6. abra

    abra New Member

    It could be a combination of things...you might have familial traits that make you more reactive or susceptible to certain things...but then you also have to be exposed to something--for example, the herpes virus, or something entirely different--to actually get symptoms. Which would explain why some members of a family get it and others don't.

    Or maybe it's like ulcers...which they once said were from stress and now say they have a bacterial cause. Perhaps MM is caused by a virus that they haven't yet identified.
     
  7. sbtier

    sbtier New Member

    My uncle has MM and I was told there is a weak genetic link. One of the reasons I was misdiagnosed with MM, I think.
     
  8. typsytony

    typsytony New Member

    my dad had similar symptoms but was never diagnosed with MM he always was able to control his symptoms with meds
     
  9. dmac

    dmac my sweet Holly

    ;D To my knowledge no nary a soul in my family ever had it. But my Dad was from Ohio and I grew up in Texas so I didn't know his family well.
    I saw my ENT yesterday and he was skeptical about herpes and antiviral meds.
    He gave me some Singulair, an allergy medication, and I was steady today, but that's just one day, hopefully mine is caused just by allergies. I work in an optical lab and there's plenty of plastic dust in the environment and I've been around it for 16 years.
     

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