Hearing problems aren't a common MS symptom. But people with MS can sometimes experience problems including tinnitus, increased sensitivity to sound and loss of hearing.
The course of MS is unpredictable and can cause a variety of symptoms in different people. It may cause hearing problems and other symptoms that have to do with the function of the inner ear, such as hearing loss, tinnitus, balance problems, and a muffled or full feeling in the ear.
Note that the development of tinnitus, as well as any sudden change in hearing or in the inner ear, may indicate an MS flare. If you're experiencing these types of symptoms for the first time, contact your neurologist. Your health care team can help you manage these and other symptoms of a flare.
The cause of hearing loss can be due to non-MS related issues but in MS, can be associated with damage to the hearing nerve pathways in the brain and the brainstem. Hearing loss may also take place during an acute exacerbation. In very rare cases, hearing loss has been reported as the first symptom of the disease.
Hearing problems caused by MS are thought to be due to damage to the brainstem - the part of the brain that is also involved in vision and balance. Problems are often associated with other brainstem symptoms such as tinnitus and vertigo. Sudden hearing problems can show that you are having a relapse.
Overview. Dizziness is a common symptom of MS. People with MS may feel off balance or lightheaded. Much less often, they have the sensation that they or their surroundings are spinning — a condition known as vertigo.
Neurologic causes include head injury, whiplash, multiple sclerosis, vestibular schwannoma (commonly called an acoustic neuroma), and other cerebellopontine-angle tumors.
Hearing problems aren't a common MS symptom. But people with MS can sometimes experience problems including tinnitus, increased sensitivity to sound and loss of hearing. There are other possible causes of hearing problems which are more common than MS.
Early MS symptoms may include blurred vision, numbness, dizziness, muscle weakness, and coordination issues. MS is progressive and can worsen over time. Eventually, the disease can do damage directly to the nerves, causing permanent disability.
Floaters are a common ocular symptom for individuals with multiple sclerosis, but MS isn't a leading cause. On their own, floaters don't usually indicate serious conditions. Eye conditions like optic neuritis can be an early warning sign of oncoming multiple sclerosis.
Otosclerosis is a term derived from oto, meaning “of the ear,” and sclerosis, meaning “abnormal hardening of body tissue.” The condition is caused by abnormal bone remodeling in the middle ear. Bone remodeling is a lifelong process in which bone tissue renews itself by replacing old tissue with new.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that can affect the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.
Many people with MS experience dizziness, in which you feel light-headed or off-balance, notes the NMSS. A less-common MS symptom is vertigo. When you have vertigo, you feel as though your surroundings are spinning around you, Dr. Kalb says, or that you are spinning.
Multiple Sclerosis: It's in Your Head
Brain lesions are a hallmark of MS, but they're not the only way MS can affect your brain function. MS can also contribute to brain atrophy, or shrinkage, over time — a process that occurs in all people as they age, but typically happens much more quickly in people with MS.
Feeling fatigued is one of the most common and troublesome symptoms of MS. It's often described as an overwhelming sense of exhaustion that means it can be a struggle to carry out even the simplest activities.
Migraines are one of the most common mimicker diseases that can be misdiagnosed for MS. Migraine causes intense throbbing headaches, light sensitivity, and nausea. Many migraine sufferers have also experienced blurred vision similar to the kind caused by optic neuritis in MS patients.
These include fibromyalgia and vitamin B12 deficiency, muscular dystrophy (MD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), migraine, hypo-thyroidism, hypertension, Beçhets, Arnold-Chiari deformity, and mitochondrial disorders, although your neurologist can usually rule them out quite easily.
Lesions in the brain may affect cognitive abilities. Some people with MS have trouble with memory, attention and concentration, multitasking and decision-making, says Dr. Scherz. The changes are usually mild at the beginning, but can be frustrating as time goes by.
Electrical, burning or recurrent stabbing pain sometimes occurs with MS, especially on the head. Severe bouts of pain lasting seconds to minutes from the ear to the jaw, cheek or forehead is known as trigeminal neuralgia.
In fact, it's estimated that more than half of people living with MS will develop cognitive issues. People may experience such things as forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, and confusion. Brain fog is also referred to as “brain haze” or “cog fog” — short for cognitive fog.
Sometimes, tinnitus is a sign of high blood pressure, an allergy, or anemia. In rare cases, tinnitus is a sign of a serious problem such as a tumor or aneurysm. Other risk factors for tinnitus include temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), diabetes, thyroid problems, obesity, and head injury.
Neurologist: A medical doctor who specializes in the evaluation and treatment of disorders that affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. If you have headaches associated with your tinnitus or sensitivity to sound, you may benefit from a consultation with a neurologist.
Possible causes of clogged and ringing ears include earwax impaction, an infection, or acoustic neuroma. Some respond to home remedies while others need medical treatment. Some conditions that cause clogged and ringing ears result in temporarily clogged ears, but others may cause permanent hearing problems.