Is the Ringing in My Ears Caused by Blood Pressure?
Studies have shown that many people suffer from hearing a constant ringing or noise in their ears called tinnitus. Most of the time tinnitus is caused by the damage occurred within the inner ear. But, sometimes tinnitus can actually be a symptom of an underlining condition. One of these conditions could be high blood pressure.
About three percent of tinnitus patients experience a rare form of tinnitus known as pulsatile tinnitus. It occurs when there is a narrowing of the blood vessel opening or an increased blood flow through the blood vessels inside the head or neck of the patient. The turbulent blood flow can then be heard in either one or both ears.
People suffer from pulsatile tinnitus can hear the noise as a rhythmic pulsing often in sync with their heartbeat. It can sometimes be heard as a whooshing or thumping sound. It is caused by a disturbance of the individual’s blood flow.
Pulsatile tinnitus is completely independent from traditional tinnitus that is caused by damage to the hearing nerve located in the cochlea of the inner ear. However, some people may experience both types of tinnitus at the same time.
With pulsatile tinnitus the problem can be a serious underlying condition such as high blood pressure. High blood pressure, or hypertension, can have many symptoms or it may occur with no symptoms at all. Although hearing a ringing in the ears might be a symptom of high blood pressure, studies have shown that it is not a common one.
Typically pulsatile tinnitus patients suffering from high blood pressure won’t start to hear ringing noise in their ears until after they have begun their blood pressure medication. The tinnitus usually resolves on its own after about four to six weeks. A change in the medication can also resolve the issue. Other individuals with tinnitus caused by high blood pressure find the ringing disappears after medication starts to reduce the pressure within the blood vessels.
Several other conditions can also cause pulsatile tinnitus. One of the common causes of pulsatile tinnitus is due to a glomus tumor, which is a benign vascular tumor typically found just below the artery or in the ear. It is a result of a cholesterol build-up along the artery wall.
Another cause for pulsatile tinnitus is benign intracranial hypertension or BIH for short. This is a condition where the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the brain experiencing an increased pressure. It occurs often in young, overweight females. In addition, a middle ear inflammation or infection can also cause pulsatile tinnitus.
Depending on the cause of the pulsatile tinnitus, the cures may vary from person to person. If you think that your tinnitus might be due to high blood pressure, you should visit your doctor’s office and have your blood pressure checked. If indeed it is cause by high blood pressure, you doctor may prescribe a medication to reduce the symptoms. It is important that you report any side effects caused by the new medication.
