Kidney cyst

@carriagelady, I don't have any answers except to say that fluid retention can happen in the ear and may not be adrenal-related but I certainly would follow up on that cyst. WTG on the research and keep doing it! My primary is delighted with my renal/diabetic diet research and medication/physiology research but my neph was pretty surprised. She admitted I made her think. They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing but I think the more we know the better we can advocate for ourselves as patients. I'll be interested in learning what you find out about the cyst and possible adrenal involvement with the otic edema so keep us posted!

Thanks for your encouragement. I found a book by Janet Rankin called, "Primary Aldosteronism" and also found her webpage. I wrote asking her the same question and she replied in just a few hours. Here is her reply. I had to remove the links that are from .gov website or it would not let me post as I am new here

Diane-

I am not a medical doctor so cannot make suggestions on your treatment. I did look up whether there has been research into the association of aldosterone with Cochlear Hydrops. see this article:( )

Ion transport its regulation in the endolymphatic sac: suggestions for clinical aspects of Meniere's disease.
the final sentence of the abstract: "Recent basic and clinical studies suggest that aldosterone may be involved in the effect of salt-reduced diet treatment in Meniere's disease." suggests that dietary sodium reduction is sometimes found to be beneficial for that condition. Lower sodium diet also tends to bring aldosterone down in people who have primary aldosteronism. so, the low sodium diet may work since it bring aldosterone down and thus reduces your overall blood volume (similar to a diuretic but without the medication). I see a few other articles that say that Meniere's has excessive accumulation of fluid in the inner ear that may be related to abnormal sodium movement across the membrane. The article below says this sodium transport is "mineralocorticoid controlled" (aldosterone is a mineralocorticoid). That is really all I can say. You will have to decide whether it is acceptable to you to go off the medications in order to have the aldosterone to renin ratio measured.

( )
Abstract
Meniere's disease (MD), a syndromal inner ear disease, is commonly associated with a pathological accumulation of endolymphatic fluid in the inner ear, termed "idiopathic" endolymphatic hydrops (iEH). Although numerous precipitating/exacerbating factors have been proposed for MD, its etiology remains elusive. Here, using immunohistochemistry and in situ protein-protein interaction detection assays, we demonstrate mineralocorticoid-controlled sodium transport mechanisms in the epithelium of the extraosseous portion of the endolymphatic sac (eES) in the murine and human inner ears. Histological analysis of the eES in an extensive series of human temporal bones consistently revealed pathological changes in the eES in cases with iEH and a clinical history of MD, but no such changes were found in cases with "secondary" EH due to other otological diseases or in healthy controls. Notably, two etiologically different pathologies-degeneration and developmental hypoplasia-that selectively affect the eES in MD were distinguished. Clinical records from MD cases with degenerative and hypoplastic eES pathology revealed distinct intergroup differences in clinical disease presentation. Overall, we have identified for the first time two inner ear pathologies that are consistently present in MD and can be directly linked to the pathogenesis of EH, and which potentially affect the phenotypical presentation of MD.

I don't know anything about it, but I'd like to applaud you for being pro-active in your health care.

I posted this on the kidney board also

Does anyone know if there has been any research investigating a possible relationship between kidney cysts and cochlear hydrops (fluid in ear canal). Trouble with my ear started 5 months ago, prednisone helped bot did not cure. Finally put on diuretic,triamterene-hctz after vertigo episode and doing much better. About the same time a kidney cyst was seen on a routine lung scan. I was told 10 years ago about cyst called benign and nothing to worry about. After diuretic worked so well i started researching how salt is controlled by the body.

Cyst is on top of pole and has apparently gone from simple to complex with a superation. My dr thinks i am off base and wasn't going to do anything but follow up with another scan in 6 months. Though she basically ridiculed my "reseach" and theory about a connection she did give me a referral to a urologist. She bases her opinion on the fact i do not have high blood pressure. I think the cyst may be interfering with my adrenal gland function. I am looking for peer reviewed research to take with me to the urologist next week.

Update:

I found a book by Janet Rankin called, "Primary Aldosteronism" and also found her webpage. I wrote asking her the same question and she replied in just a few hours. Here is her reply. I had to remove the links that are from .gov website or it would not let me post as I am new here

Diane-

I am not a medical doctor so cannot make suggestions on your treatment. I did look up whether there has been research into the association of aldosterone with Cochlear Hydrops. see this article:( )

Ion transport its regulation in the endolymphatic sac: suggestions for clinical aspects of Meniere's disease.
the final sentence of the abstract: "Recent basic and clinical studies suggest that aldosterone may be involved in the effect of salt-reduced diet treatment in Meniere's disease." suggests that dietary sodium reduction is sometimes found to be beneficial for that condition. Lower sodium diet also tends to bring aldosterone down in people who have primary aldosteronism. so, the low sodium diet may work since it bring aldosterone down and thus reduces your overall blood volume (similar to a diuretic but without the medication). I see a few other articles that say that Meniere's has excessive accumulation of fluid in the inner ear that may be related to abnormal sodium movement across the membrane. The article below says this sodium transport is "mineralocorticoid controlled" (aldosterone is a mineralocorticoid). That is really all I can say. You will have to decide whether it is acceptable to you to go off the medications in order to have the aldosterone to renin ratio measured.

( )
Abstract
Meniere's disease (MD), a syndromal inner ear disease, is commonly associated with a pathological accumulation of endolymphatic fluid in the inner ear, termed "idiopathic" endolymphatic hydrops (iEH). Although numerous precipitating/exacerbating factors have been proposed for MD, its etiology remains elusive. Here, using immunohistochemistry and in situ protein-protein interaction detection assays, we demonstrate mineralocorticoid-controlled sodium transport mechanisms in the epithelium of the extraosseous portion of the endolymphatic sac (eES) in the murine and human inner ears. Histological analysis of the eES in an extensive series of human temporal bones consistently revealed pathological changes in the eES in cases with iEH and a clinical history of MD, but no such changes were found in cases with "secondary" EH due to other otological diseases or in healthy controls. Notably, two etiologically different pathologies-degeneration and developmental hypoplasia-that selectively affect the eES in MD were distinguished. Clinical records from MD cases with degenerative and hypoplastic eES pathology revealed distinct intergroup differences in clinical disease presentation. Overall, we have identified for the first time two inner ear pathologies that are consistently present in MD and can be directly linked to the pathogenesis of EH, and which potentially affect the phenotypical presentation of MD.