8 Common Causes of Pulsatile Tinnitus
If you suffer from tinnitus, you may be surprised to learn that there are two types of it, and each type has an entirely different set of treatments. The first type is called pulsatile tinnitus and the second is called non-pulsatile tinnitus, and you can usually tell them apart from each other by the type of sounds you’ll hear. As the name implies, pulsatile tinnitus tends to sound like your own heartbeat, whereas non-pulsatile tinnitus sounds like a variety of familiar noises, such as ringing, chirping, whirring or clicking. It is unusual but possible to have these two types of tinnitus together, and people who have both of conditions usually say the pulsatile component is the more bothersome. The focus of this article is to gain a better understanding of pulsatile tinnitus, its causes and its treatments.
What Causes Pulsatile Tinnitus?
Pulsatile tinnitus is a rare form of tinnitus, and only about 3% of tinnitus patients have it. It is sometimes referred to as vascular tinnitus and is usually related to disturbances in the blood flow. The problem usually originates from within the blood vessels inside the head or neck region. When disturbed or irregular blood flow occurs it can result in turbulent blood flow, and this turbulence is then amplified and can be heard in the ears as a whooshing, beating or other rhythmic sound.
Here are the 8 common causes of pulsatile tinnitus and their treatments:
1. A benign tumor: Tumors of this nature are usually located in or near the ear. Usually with a tumor, hearing loss is also a common symptom. Treatment: Surgery may be recommended, but sometimes is not needed if the tumor is slow in growing, which is often the case with older patients.
2. Brain Lesions: One type of lesion is an aneurism, and another type is an abnormal connection between an artery and a vein. In either case the blood flow is putting too much pressure on the veins and must be treated. Treatment: Surgery and medication.
3. Veinous Hum: Patients who are anemic, pregnant, anemic, or have thyroid problems, may develop increased blood flow through the jugular vein, which amplifies the sound of blood flow in the ear. Treatment: Treating the anemia or the underlying condition will generally clear up the tinnitus naturally.
4. Narrowing of the Arteries (Atherosclerotic): Atherosclerosis is the narrowing of the artery due to cholesterol build-up on the artery wall. This condition reduces the opening
of the arteries. This usually occurs in older patients with a history of hypertension, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, angina and smoking. Treatment: If the condition is controlled by medication the tinnitus will usually disappear or lessen.
5. Benign Intracranial Hypertension (BIH): In this condition there is increased pressure around the fluid that bathes the spine and/or the brain. Usually this conditioned is caused by obesity. Treatment: Weight loss and possibly the use of prescribed diuretics.
6. High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): Some patients who take medication for their high blood pressure report symptoms of pulsatile tinnitus just after they began taking it.
Still others report high blood pressure and tinnitus at the same time, and when they take the blood pressure medication the symptoms go away. Treatment: Change of medication usually takes care of the tinnitus.
7. Twisted Arteries: Occasionally an artery may get twisted in the head and neck, causing turbulent blood flow and leading to pulsatile tinnitus. Treatment: Surgery can repair this condition, or the twisted artery may move back to its normal placement in time.
8. Middle Ear Infection (Effusion): This is one of the rare non-vascular causes of pulsatile tinnitus, where fluid fills the middle ear and causes infection. Treatment: Antibiotics, decongestants, nasal sprays, or surgery for severe infections.
While this list is not complete, it represents the common, primary causes of pulsatile tinnitus. It is important to see your doctor, so he or she can investigate the specific reason for your pulsatile tinnitus. While not highly common, in some cases a serious underlying condition could be averted by a timely diagnosis and proper treatment. To be safe, your primary care physician may also refer you to an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist for further testing.
One important point about tinnitus is that often after any potential medical conditions have been handled by your doctor, there are found to be contributing or secondary factors that triggered your tinnitus symptoms. These factors are usually related to lifestyle – such as food allergies, smoking, and the like. When it comes to these lifestyle factors there are a number of excellent home remedy treatment guides that can assist you in further reducing or potentially eliminating your symptoms altogether.
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