Hearing loss and RA

[Maat2002]

I was wondering if anyone here has had RA affect their hearing? My hearing has been bad for a couple of years now and I have these special hearing aids. I noticed my hearing getting worse and now it’s in the severe range. The doctors are talking about cochlear implants. I was wondering if there was something else I could try first. Any help is appreciated.

[BoneyC]

Maybe its a coincidence? I've had RA for 47 years and my hearing is fine.

[lilyak]

I have hearing loss as well, though mine is not as severe as yours, classes as moderate. My rheum said RA can affect the tiny bones in your ear, or it was possibly caused by autoimmune ear disease. My hearing is steadily declining, I'm sorry, I don't have any ideas for you, but you aren't alone.

[Junebee in reply to lilyak]

I was told about the same small bone in my ear by ENT specialist but the Rhumatoid doctor said there is no connection I have lost 40% of my eating in 5year so I don't know what going on !

[Gnarli]

I had mild hearing loss before RD was diagnosed. My main problem has been the tinnitus which is now very loud and quite upsetting if I allow myself to notice it. I'm so sorry you are having this problem. It's so isolating, especially as others can treat you as some sort of fool. I hope you find a way forward. Hugs

J

[Hidden in reply to Gnarli]

I think I might be a bit mutt and jeff Jan or else it's brain fog: kids keep telling me I miss things, whoops. Both my parents have hearing loss but are in 80s and refuse to wear their hearing aids! We're all quietly spoken and my daughter is poor in one ear due to whooping cough, who knows. Not another RD gift, surely, it needs to stop giving now! Commiserations, fellow fool x

PS get tinnitus too sporadically, worse when stressed

[Gnarli in reply to Hidden]

Eh? Yup, that sounds horribly familiar and it's all fun and games in our house too. Himself has hearing problems and we've had a stressful time recently so ta dah! Functional deafness. All part of life's rich tapestry I suppose. Hugs

J

[Mouseling]

Hi if you don't mind me asking how old are you, and do you have hearing loss in your family? I have wondered about the conection too. I was told that RA can effect the vocal cords and certainly there have been times when my throat has been croaky raspy and I have been told that I am speaking quietly. I have also wondered about hearing loss as well at times. Another thought is aside from the effects of RA itself the drugs have a multitude of side effects. I am on Biologic drugs and if you read up on them there are many systems of the body that can possibly lets say be altered in the short or long term use of these drugs. The immune system is incredibly complex and the drugs are altering the way our immune system is behaving. We are all unique as to how RA effects us and in our responce to the drugs. That is why if an adverse reaction or change is proven to be as a result of a drug it has to be recorded, even if it is only one individual effected. Therefore it is highly likely that you can have one or two people be strongly effected by say hearing loss but the majority are not. Or for most it is so subtle that you would put it down to natural ageing. From my own experience having an autoimmune disease, taking many different drugs factoring in age and now menopause it can be so hard to know what is causing what.

[Maat2002 in reply to Mouseling]

Hi Mouseling!

Thanks for your reply. I am 51 yrs. old. I have no hearing Loss that runs in my family. The hearing aids that I have have a tinnitus program to help with the ringing and Morse Code/typewriter tinnitus. The ENT said RA can affect the ear by killing the auditory nerves and the fine hairs inside the ear. I was told the OTC medicines like Motrin, Tylenol, Naproxen all can cause the tinnitus to be worse and not take it. My Rheumatologist put me on Diclofenac Once a day and I don’t take steroids unless things get really bad between Rituxan infusions. I am worried because I am a Mental Health Therapist and I need my hearing to do my job. I can do this job from a wheel chair but if I can’t hear I have no chance of working in this field. My hubby has Kidney Cancer and I’m trying to prepare to take care of myself. This is just another disappointing big bump in the road.

[Mouseling]

P. S saw your post about Lyme disease. I do hope you are ok now after antibiotics. Lyme is the most terrible thing. Best wishes

[Hidden]

Hi Maat, hearing loss is awful. Nine years ago, I was sitting at the computer, when I suddenly went deaf in my right ear. I assumed that it was a ear infection as I had been having them since I was six years old. However, they had always been in my left ear and this was in my right. I also felt that this was more severe and so sudden. The next morning I went to the doctor who didn't seem concerned and said to go back if it was still like it in two weeks. However, I was very concerned and not happy with what he had said, so I went to the A & E dept. I was then fobbed off by a nurse who said that an ENT doctor would only see me if I was bleeding from my ear. If only I had been more assertive that day. I have since found out that I should have been given antibiotics and a viral medication to have given me the best chance of getting my hearing back and it had to be given within two days.

I saw the ENT specialist about a month later and was given tests and it was found that the nerve in my ear had totally died and there was nothing that could be done and as I am completely deaf in that ear, a hearing aid would be of no use. My left ear is scarred from all the infections I had as a child and also has mild tinnitus.

The ENT specialist was a bit puzzled about what had caused this to happen and thought it might be due to an auto immune disease. As I also suffered from a lot of pain, he referred me to a rheumatologist where I was diagnosed with RA. I also have possible PsA.

It is hard struggling with hearing loss and when there is background noise I struggle even more. People get tired of asking to repeat things over and over again. My dad also went almost deaf, but I now wonder if he had undiagnosed PsA because he had extremely bad psoriasis and often suffered from low back pain and gout.

Sorry for such a long post.

[Soobee21]

Very interesting to read about the hearing issue with RA. My husband keeps saying I am not hearing correctly. My R A is slowly creeping into more places and I suffer more and more pain. I have a 30 week wait to see my Rheumatologist....the hearing issue makes sense now I have read all of these comments! Still waiting and waiting.....Sue x

[Miapalffy5]

RA can effect everything.

Hearing is quite common.