Some might find it easy to brush off, but it could be a serious health warning that needs medical attention as soon as possible
A doctor has warned people to get checked by a professional if they hear a certain sound in their ear. It could be hiding a ‘sinister’ condition that needs fixing.
Pulsatile tinnitus (PT) is a rare condition that can cause people to experience a whooshing sound in their ears. This sound often matches up with their heartbeat.
Just like the more common form of tinnitus, PT sufferers can vary in how severe the problem is. Some find it mildly annoying whilst others find it so “intense and debilitating” they cannot concentrate or sleep.
It’s linked to your heartbeat, as patients often report the ‘sound’ getting faster when their heart rate increases or quietening down when their heart is pumping slower. It can often be the small but clear alarm for more serious medical issues like aneurysms and tumours.
Dr Ahmed, a British GP, explained the condition and what to do if you think it’s happening to you. He said it’s “something you definitely need to bring up with your doctor”.
The doctor added that most medics will carry out tests to determine what’s causing the issue. He said: “It’s down to a changing blood flow in the small blood vessels inside your ear. We may also refer you for a hearing test, and most people will also need some further investigations.”
In most cases. PT is just a symptom of another related medical problem. It can often be explained by activities or conditions that directly impact your blood flow, such as exercise, high blood pressure, pregnancy, an overactive thyroid or anaemia.
However, it can warn about more serious conditions. Dr Ahmed added: “Sometimes, your blood flow can become more turbulent, and the most common causes for this are things like aneurysms and atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries). You can also get something called localised increased blood flow which means a particular blood vessel has an increased supply to it.
“This most often is down to a tumour.” But before people start to panic, it is important that “most tumours associated with PT are benign”, says Dr Ahmed.
Treating the issue that’s causing the PT should, in theory, make it go away. Dr Ahmed said: “Most of the time, [these causes are] benign and nothing to worry about, but it’s definitely something you want to get checked out – especially if it is something new or is getting worse.”
Other factors that can cause Pulsatile tinnitus include:
- Venous sinus stenosis
- Dural arteriovenous fistula
- Heart disease
- Diseases that affect your veins and arteries
- Local tumors
- Non-closure of fetal stapedial artery
- Atherosclerosis
- Idiopathic intracranial hypertension
Treatment typically involves medication or surgery to repair a blood vessel. Playing white noise can help make the sound less noticeable, as well as wearing sound generators to create a constant background noise to distract you. Tinnitus retraining may also help you tune out the tinnitus.
