MdDS Balance Disorder Foundation

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Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (MdDS) or Disembarkment Syndrome
 is a rare disorder of perceived motion that:

  • most often develops following an ocean cruise, other type of water travel, or motion experience including automobile, airplane, and train travel

  • for a few, there is no antecedent motion event; the onset appears to be spontaneous

  • is more common in women than men (~9:1)

  • Common symptoms include:

    • a persistent sensation of perceived motion, e.g., rocking, swaying, and/or bobbing

    • anxiety and/or depression

    • fatigue

    • difficulty maintaining balance

    • headache (including migraine) 

    • impaired cognitive function

  • Symptom intensity is highly variable among patients but may be quite disabling 

  • Patients are usually relieved when in motion, e.g., riding in a car 

  • Unfortunately, MdDS

    • may persist for months to years

    • is frequently misdiagnosed or undiagnosed

    • lacks an effective treatment or therapy

    • cause remains unknown

           

The MdDS Balance Disorder Foundation seeks to facilitate clinical studies and to unite investigators (both clinician and basic scientists) with an interest in studying this disorder. If you are interested, please contact us. 

 

New MdDS Research Study
Yoon-Hee Cha, MD, has been awarded a three year grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct clinical studies on Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (MdDS). Beginning January 2010, Dr. Cha will receive funding from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), a NIH institute that supports research on disorders of balance. The award to Dr. Cha (Functional Neuroimaging and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Mal de Debarquement) represents the inaugural use of US federal research dollars to investigate the cause and potential treatment of MdDS.

Watch a lecture on MdDS by
Ron Tusa, MD
 ...to better understand this disorder...

 

See results of MdDS Foundation
patient surveys
 ...to better understand this disorder...

 

Informational Brochure  

This site is designed for those suffering from MdDS (Mal de Debarquement Syndrome) and the health care professionals who treat them.  If you have been diagnosed or suspect that you have MdDS or Disembarkment Syndrome, sign up for a free membership at our support site and review or search the thousands of messages from those who suffer from MdDS. Here, you will find caring people who understand what it is like to live with this rare balance disorder; members are from all over the world. Please join us to share and learn from others.

The MdDS Balance Disorder Foundation is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit PA foundation dedicated to promoting awareness of Mal de Debarquement Syndrome and seeking treatments and a cure for people suffering from this disorder.
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Copyright  © 2006-2010,  MdDS Balance Disorder Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited. Copyright materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part by persons, organizations, or corporations without the prior written permission of the MdDS Balance Disorder Foundation. The information contained in this web site is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment.

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Last modified on September 18, 2010