Parkinsons and Hearing Loss

[coffeewithcream]

Eleven years before I was diagnosed with PD I experienced sudden hearing loss in my left ear. Shortly after I developed tinnitus in that ear and have lived with it ever since. Three ENT's and multiple tests and no one could ever explain the cause of my hearing loss. I have read that there my be a relation between hearing loss and PD but have not found anything definitive. I'm just curious if other with PD have experienced hearing loss. If so, was it sudden? Pre-PD?

[Bolt_Upright]

I asked my favorite AI: claude.ai

"There is some evidence suggesting a potential link between hearing loss and Parkinson's disease, though the relationship is not fully understood. Here's a concise overview:

1. Prevalence: Studies have found that hearing loss is more common in people with Parkinson's disease compared to the general population of similar age.

2. Shared mechanisms: Both conditions involve neurodegeneration, which may affect auditory processing pathways as well as motor control systems.

3. Cognitive factors: Hearing loss and Parkinson's disease can both impact cognitive function, potentially compounding effects on perception and processing.

4. Temporal processing: Some research suggests that Parkinson's disease may affect the brain's ability to process rapid auditory signals, contributing to hearing difficulties.

5. Dopamine connection: Dopamine, which is deficient in Parkinson's disease, may play a role in auditory processing.

However, it's important to note that correlation does not imply causation. More research is needed to fully understand the relationship between these two conditions."

[coffeewithcream in reply to Bolt_Upright]

Thanks. That is pretty much all the info that I found as well.

[Lamadre]

Hi, I was diagnosed with PD about 3 years ago. I have recently had some very horrible episodes of vertigo (making me vomit and loss of balance) and I noticed that in each case I had a significant loss of hearing in my left ear (PD affects my left side mostly). Hearing tests showed that after each episode my hearing came back to normal levels. The neurologist I see said definitely vestibular and didn't suggest it could be related to PD. I have also seen an ENT consultant who said it was likely movement of the inner ear crystals or inflammation, difficult to find the cause apparently! I'm now on Betahistine which seems to stop the dizziness and episodes are much less severe. I don't have tinnitus with this, just a noticeable fuzzy sort of feeling in the left ear which can precede an episode. When I had the hearing tests it was suggested that having a hearing aid in the left ear might 're-balance' my hearing and so stop the episodes of vertigo, I might look into giving this a try! I can tell when the hearing is going from my left hear by using an AirPod and checking out the volume level - not scientific but it works!

[MarionP in reply to Lamadre]

You know that is really fascinating about the hearing. Everyday I learn something when I go on to this group. Plus you made me look up vestibular. Sure would like someday to deal with the tinnitus but I've been told by several the cause really is not understood and there are no effective treatments, it's a total mystery even today. And nothing I've tried ever has helped.

[Boscoejean in reply to Lamadre]

I do not know if this would help your dizziness but there is a technique called the Eppley maneuver that can sometimes help with vertigo when there are issues in the inner ear

[Nitro53 in reply to Boscoejean]

Yes I agree and it works!

[coffeewithcream in reply to Lamadre]

Thanks for sharing your experience. The more I hear about peoples' experiences with hearing loss the less I think doctors really know about it. Quite often several different doctors come up with difference causes.

[Rufous2 in reply to Lamadre]

Interesting that Acetyl Leucine (that's being discussed in a couple of CP threads about RBD/prodromal PD) is a medication for vertigo that's been around for many years and is now being repurposed for neurological disorders.

[TenaciousBlue]

I developed sudden low tone hearing loss in my right ear 3 years after PD symptoms started on my right side. ENT and MDS say it’s not related, but that doesn’t make any sense. Thank you for posting this. It’s comforting knowing that other pwp have this issue and are able to do some simple research and draw the same logical conclusions that I have.

[coffeewithcream in reply to TenaciousBlue]

I wish they would just say we don't know if it's related. If they don't know what caused it the how do they know it's not related.

[chicagojoe]

I developed sudden hearing loss about 15 years or so before PD. For me, it was like being on an airplane and experiencing a change in pressure and waiting for my ear to "pop" but it didn't. After about a half hour, I consulted Dr. Google and discovered that "Sudden Hearing Loss" was a thing. I was able to be seen by a hearing specialist the next day [urgent care was worse than useless] and he was upset, noting that no one knew what caused it. It was treated similarly to Bel's Palsy - i.e., it might be a virus, so you get an antiviral, and it might be an irritation of a nerve, so you get a steroid. And you wait. Most people recover in a few weeks, some in 6 months or so, and the rest don't.

[coffeewithcream in reply to chicagojoe]

My experience was much the same except it happened on Saturday and I waited to see my doctor on Monday. He prescribed meds saying it might be a virus then when I didn't get better he referred me to ENT. They did MRI and found nothing so decided it must be hereditary. A second ENT I saw said it was viral and I didn't get the meds soon enough.

[MIKEYDAY in reply to chicagojoe]

Since my PD diagnosis 6 years ago at 54, my tinnitus seems to have gotten worse with no clear cause according to my ENT Dr although my theory is that it may have been triggered and/or exasperated by crunching ice. Most recently I have been dealing with a nagging right ear blockage with no apparent cause that reduces hearing down to as much as 20% for weeks or months at a time. Ear strefching exercises and a daily nasal spray have had limited relief.

[chicagojoe]

I didn't get an MRI until some years later and it showed nothing. Oh, well, added another problem to the list and got on with life. Good luck.

[Buckholt]

Yes, I had sudden hearing loss about 12 yrs before the onset of Pd symptoms. That has subsequently lead to tinnitus and further additional hearing loss, load noise sensitivity and worsening tinnitus post pd diagnosis.

At the time, I put the problem down to a virus because it happened to someone else in the office I was working in at the time. I still think that’s the most likely explanation, but the subsequent issues could be pd related. The tinnitus has since got a bit better thought, thankfully.

[mach262]

Hi, I was diagnosed with Meniere's disease in 2002 with a right ear sudden hearing loss and tinnitus. Treatment was Betahistine which recovered some hearing. There was also infrequent attacks of vertigo and also distortion in that ear meaning that hearing aids are no use. I had cataclysmic hearing loss just pre Covid for which an immediate injection of steroid direct into the ear which was unsuccessful. I have 95% hearing loss in the one ear but only very occasional vertigo episodes, usually on aircraft descent. The Pilots on BA will moderate the cabin pressure if you ask them because its not standard procedure. This has alleviated it though. In 2018 I developed a right handed tremor which was drug refractory but DAT scan normal. It has since migrated to my right leg and a second DAT scan reveals abnormalities on both sides. I have been offered DBS to both sides and there is still the possibility of HIFU if all else fails. I do not think in my case that the Meniere's and PD are related. Good luck!

[coffeewithcream in reply to mach262]

I was initially offered DBS for PD but said no thanks at the time. I then did some research and learned the amalgam fillings might be the cause. I had them removed and some of my symptoms improved. I still have mild head tremors and take taurine that helps with my leg cramps/stiffness. I have had no progression since 2019 when I had the fillings removed. I can't say that I never will but for today I am grateful. I am now beginning to wonder if perhaps the fillings caused my hearing loss as well.

[Ghmac]

If you are looking for hearing aides try Costco - they have a great department and good prices.

[coffeewithcream in reply to Ghmac]

Thanks but normal hearing aids would not help me. What I do hear in that ear is not clear so amplifying it would only make matters worse.