What are the causes of otolith shedding

Otoliths are one of the important structures of the ear. They can control the balance of the human body and enable people to live and work normally. Because otoliths play a huge role, if they fall off, it will have a great impact on people. The falling of otoliths can cause dizziness in patients, and the reasons for the falling of otoliths are head trauma or ear degeneration due to aging. Generally speaking, people who work at a desk for a long time and the elderly are most likely to suffer from this disease. In addition, depending on the cause of the disease, otolith shedding is also divided into different types. Next, I will give you a detailed introduction to the causes of otolith shedding, the susceptible populations, and the types of diseases!

1. Causes

Humans are able to function normally because they have organs in both ears that regulate body balance. One of the important structures is the saccule and utricle. Because there are calcium carbonate crystals in the saccule and utricle that sense changes in the center of gravity and are shaped like stones, the latter is called otoliths and the former is called otolith organs. Some doctors call the vertigo caused by otolith disease otolithiasis. The cause of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is still under discussion. Some people believe that it is related to the shedding of otoliths in the otolith organ. Due to head trauma or local structural degeneration due to aging, the otoliths in the otolith organ fall off from their original positions and shift to other balance structures, causing dizziness when the head position changes. Just like the ball maze played by children,

In the womb, the balls move around randomly, causing imbalance. The doctor's treatment is to use manual manipulation to turn the ball rolling in the maze back to its original position and restore balance.

2. Susceptible population

As life is rich and colorful nowadays, even a slight collision of the head during various activities may lead to benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in the future. The popularity and widespread use of computers have made people who work at a desk for a long time a dangerous group, but the cause is unknown; the aging of society is becoming increasingly serious, and the function of the ear organs of the elderly is declining, which makes a considerable number of elderly people's vertigo caused by benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

3. Disease Type

1. Senile degenerative changes: When senile degenerative changes occur, the otolith membrane falls off and enters the semicircular canal and is deposited there.

2. Trauma: After head trauma or accelerated head movement, otoliths may fall off and enter the semicircular canals.

3. Ear diseases: infections of the middle ear and mastoid, such as viral labyrinthitis, chronic suppurative otitis media, perilymphatic fistula, and Meniere's disease in remission, can all lead to otolith loss.

4. Insufficient blood supply to the inner ear: Due to arteriosclerosis and hypertension, the inner ear blood supply is insufficient, the glial membrane of the macula becomes thinner, the otoliths fall off, and enter the semicircular canals.