Pulsatile Tinnitus
Pulsatile Tinnitus can be defined as an ear problem where a person tends to feel a rhythmic pulsing sound all the way in his ear. It can be like a whooshing or thumping sound and even goes within the heartbeat.
Many times it is also referred to as vascular tinnitus because of its association to the blood flow. Pulsatile Tinnitus is observed in less percentage of patients as only 3% of people come under this category. The only difference between tinnitus and Pulsatile Tinnitus is that in Pulsatile Tinnitus the ringing is more intense and it may even resemble like a classical ringing in the ears. In common tinnitus a person only experiences a light ringing in the ears.
Tinnitus causes are still under research in order to discover its actual causes but for Pulsatile Tinnitus, the main cause is an irregular blood flow in the ear.
Irregular flow of blood in the blood vessels near the neck and head are the major affected areas and this ringing occurs when this flow of blood is interpreted or disturbed in any of the senses. This cannot be termed as any nerve damage to nerves near the neck or head but only the flow of blood is interpreted.
Pulsatile Tinnitus disorder begins from the inner ear only, when the delicate and soft nerves are damaged in one or the other way leading to chronic inflammation. This causes swelling inside the inner ear and thus the blood flow is elevated which damages the tissues along with it. This makes a person feel a continuous ringing in his ear and head which is termed as tinnitus.
Later, if the patulous Eustachian tube once gets opened up then a person’s heartbeat sound and even the breath can also be felt by him (as if you were underwater) thus leading to tinnitus ringing. This tube is the major cause for Pulsatile Tinnitus and is located in the middle ear thus gets damaged once the inner ear is infected with tinnitus. When Eustachian tube gets damaged, it ejaculates a fluid into the air and this fluid gets accumulated into the airy space in the middle ear thus causing Pulsatile Tinnitus.
It is possible to have Pulsatile Tinnitus and a continuous tinnitus together at the same time. Pulsatile Tinnitus is said to be more dangerous and harmful, thus consulting a doctor even on a slight doubt is advisable.
In majority of cases, this can be an underlying condition only and it can rarely lead to any catastrophic event.
Some of the other common causes of Pulsatile Tinnitus can be Glomus tumor, Benign Intracranial Hypertension (BIH), Atherosclerotic Carotid Artery disease, Intracranial Vascular Lesions, Intraocular Vascular Lesions, middle ear effusion, venous hum, hypertension, twisted arteries, Arnold Chiari Malformation etc.
Sinus attacks are also a common factor that later might cause Pulsatile Tinnitus so patients should take care through regular checkups. Antibiotics should not be taken in high quantity because they may lead to thickening of mucus in the inner and middle ear thus making it difficult to drain out from the narrow Eustachian tubes. Stress and anxiety can also be reasons for the Pulsatile Tinnitus problem for many people.
