Pulsatile Tinnitus and Thyroid
Pulsatile Tinnitus and Thyroid
Why is it that pulsatile tinnitus and thyroid are associated with each other?
The reason for this is that thyroid disorder is one of the causes of pulsatile tinnitus. It is the kind of tinnitus where you hear an ear noise that beats in time with your heart or pulse. Of the sufferers of tinnitus, only 3% experience this type.
What happens is that when you have thyroid problems, you may develop an increased blood flow through the jugular vein, which is the largest vein in the neck. The jugular vein carries blood from the brain back to the heart. In so doing, it travels along the middle ear. The middle ear then hears the turbulent blood flow anywhere in the course of the jugular vein as a hum or a noise. Thus, you perceive a sound even though there is no external source.
The noises associated with pulsatile tinnitus include low-pitched thumping or booming sound and a high-pitched clicking noise.
Generally, if the thyroid disorder is treated, improvements relating to the person’s pulsatile tinnitus take place.
