Cochlear hydrops is a form of Meniere’s disease that does not include dizziness as a symptom. It is believed to be excessive fluid pressure in the cochlea of the inner ear. Although Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) test and other tests may be performed, there is no specific test to diagnose this condition.

Symptoms include:

• Clogged or fullness sensation in the ear
• Distortion of sound and speech
• Hearing fluctuations
• Roaring sound in the ear
• Sensitivity to high-frequency noise

Treatment consists of dietary changes and restrictions including no alcohol, no caffeine and low salt. Diuretics may be prescribed if the response to the modified diet is good. 

Certain diseases can lead to facial disorders. For example, a viral infection is believed to be the cause of Bell’s palsy, which is the most common type of facial paralysis. Nerve diseases, like trigeminal neuralgia, which usually creates chronic facial pain, spasms and trouble with eye or facial movement, can be caused by tumors or multiple sclerosis.

Treatment options include medicines, surgery and other techniques.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 

Hearing loss is a common problem caused by many factors including heredity, noise exposure and aging. Hearing is a complex sense involving both detection (the ear's ability to recognize sounds presence in the environment) and intelligibility (the brain's ability to interpret or understand those sounds). The types of hearing loss are conductive, sensorineural and mixed. Hearing loss affects about 20 percent of adults in the United States. At age 65, one out of three people has hearing loss. Hearing loss is a major public health issue that is the third most common physical condition after arthritis and heart disease. 

Inner ear irritation and swelling of the inner ear from a virus or bacteria that leads to vertigo and loss of hearing is called labyrinthitis. It is commonly referred to as an inner ear infection. Your inner ear is located in an area that cannot be seen on physical exam, so a diagnosis is made by history and balance and hearing test results. 

Symptoms of labyrinthitis can include:

• Balance issues
• Dizziness and vertigo 
• Hearing loss 
• Involuntary eye movement and focus problems
• Nausea/vomiting
• Tinnitus (ringing or other noises in your ears)

It can take a week to a few months to completely recover from labyrinthitis. Initial treatment might include a prescription or over-the-counter anti-dizzy medication that should be used only during the period where the symptoms are at their worst (typically the first 24-72 hours). A natural compensation process where your "good" ear will start working harder to make up for the "bad" ear begins the very first week. This compensation process will be delayed if anti-dizzy medications are taken longer than necessary. 

Patients are encouraged to move about as much as safely possible to encourage the compensation process. Sometimes patients need vestibular therapy with a specialized physical therapist to hasten the compensation process. Typically, the more active you are, the faster you get better. 

Even though the vertigo typically lasts one to three days, a patient can feel off balance for much longer in situations that challenge your balance system (e.g., eyes closed in the shower, walking in a darkened room, pivoting corners, quick head movements or trying to shop in large stores). Do not drive, work with heavy machinery or work at heights if you are experiencing dizziness. 

Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is a genetic disorder of the nervous system that causes tumors to grow on nerves of the brain and spine. Usually the tumors are benign, but sometimes they can become cancerous. You can get neurofibromatosis from your parents, or it can happen because of a change in your genes. Once you have it, you can pass it along to your children.

NF2 symptoms often start in the teen years and can include:

• Balance problems
• Dark skin blotches
• Facial muscle weakness
• Headaches
• Hearing loss
• Premature cataracts
• Ringing and noises in the ears
• Vision problems

Counseling, ongoing evaluations, radiation and surgery may be part of a treatment plan.

Source: NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 

Gradual hearing loss from abnormal bone growth in the middle ear is called otosclerosis. It is believed to be a genetic condition, but the cause is unknown. The reason for hearing loss is because the new bone growth prevents normal operation of the ear bones that usually vibrate when sound is detected. One or both ears can be affected. Symptoms can include ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and vertigo.

For young adults, this is the most common type of hearing loss in the middle ear. Caucasian females have the highest risk. Pregnancy and a family history of hearing loss increase the risk.

Calcium, fluoride and vitamin D may help to slow the hearing loss. Hearing aids can help manage hearing loss and relieve symptoms. Surgery to remove the affected part of the ear (stapedectomy) and substitute a replacement can cure hearing loss that is conductive.

Ototoxicity is poisoning of the cochlear nerve in the inner ear from drugs or chemicals. The nerve itself and hair cells within the ear are damaged, often creating a loss of hearing and balance. Products as common as aspirin and quinine have been known to cause ototoxicity, which reverses once consumption of these products has ceased.

The severity of symptoms usually depends on the level of toxic exposure and can be temporary or permanent. They include:

• Blurred vision
• Constant or fluctuating tinnitus 
• Headache
• Hearing loss in one or both ears
• Loss of balance
• Nystagmus (eye jerking)
• Vertigo 
• Vomiting

Treatments to relieve symptoms include ototoxicity monitoring and hearing aids. Cochlear implants have been successful in treating total hearing loss. 

Inside the ear is a thin membrane that separates the middle ear from the fluid-filled space of the inner ear. A perilymph fistula (PLF) is a tear in the membrane that causes the fluid to leak into the middle ear.

PLF symptoms include:

• Dizziness
• Ear pressure
• Inconsistent hearing
• Motion sensitivity
• Sound sensitivity
• Sudden hearing loss
• Vertigo 

PLF symptoms increase with pressure and elevation changes in airplanes, elevators and when mountain climbing, or as a result of lifting heavy objects or even just bending over, coughing and sneezing.

PLF is usually caused by a head injury and sometimes by a perforated eardrum, but even activities like being a passenger on a plane that is ascending or more likely descending, giving birth, scuba diving and weightlifting can cause PLF. 

SSCD is an opening (dehiscence) in the bone located over the superior semicircular canal of the inner ear. This opening allows the fluid in the canal to be displaced by pressure and sound. SSCD is believed to be a developmental abnormality inherited at birth.

Some of SSCD symptoms can be brought on by coughing, loud noises, sneezing and straining and can include any or all of the following:

• Autophony (increased, sustained volume of your own voice)
• Sound hypersensitivity
• Conductive hearing loss
• Vertigo 
• Oscillopsia (the perception that still objects are moving)

Many patients are able to manage symptoms by avoiding the things that aggravate their condition, like loud noises. For others, surgical repair of the dehiscence (plugging of the canal with fibrous tissue) can be very beneficial. However, hearing loss can be a risk for those who have had prior SSCD surgery. 

Viral infection or, less commonly, bacterial infection can inflame the nerves connecting the inner ear to the brain, resulting in vestibular neuronitis.

Vestibular neuronitis is very similar to labyrinthitis. However, vestibular neuronitis typically does not cause hearing loss. The symptoms can vary in severity:

• Dizziness to a violent spinning sensation (vertigo) 
• Imbalance
• Impaired concentration
• Nausea
• Vision problems
• Vomiting

Medications help control nausea and dizziness. Antibiotics, antiviral drugs or steroids may also be prescribed. Rehabilitation exercises that retrain the brain to adjust to vestibular imbalance may also be necessary in long-term cases.

Chronic benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) may also develop from the neuronitis.   

A vestibular schwannoma is a benign tumor on the nerve that connects the ear to the brain. The slowly growing tumor gradually presses against the hearing and balance nerves. At first, you may have no symptoms. But the tumor can eventually cause numbness or paralysis of the face. If it grows large enough, it can press against the brain, becoming life-threatening.

Mild emerging symptoms can include:

• Dizziness and balance problems
• Loss of hearing on one side
• Ringing in ears

Vestibular schwannoma can be difficult to diagnose, because the symptoms are similar to those of middle ear problems. Ear exams, hearing tests and scans can show if you have it. If the tumor stays small, you may only need to have it checked regularly. If you do need treatment, surgery and radiation are options.

Source: NIH: National Institute of Deafness and Communication Disorders