While deafness and hearing loss are not common symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), some people with MS can experience hearing problems, such as tinnitus, sensitivity to sound, and loss of hearing.
If you, or someone you know, is living with MS and are worried about hearing loss or other auditory problems, keep reading to learn more about hearing issues and MS and how best to treat it.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic neurological condition that affects the brain and spinal cord. It is, unfortunately, an unpredictable disease which damages the nerves, causing symptoms such as:
Everyone with the condition is affected differently, and symptoms may get worse over time. However, while there is no cure at the moment, although there is plenty of ongoing research into a cure, treatments can help slow the disease’s progression and ease symptoms.
As MS affects the nerves, a flare-up could disturb the pathways that help your brain transmit sound. Lesions might also form on the brain stem, causing difficulty in hearing and balance. Although rare, hearing loss could be an early sign of MS or a relapse of symptoms.
Occasionally, people with MS can develop sudden hearing loss in one or both ears. However, this rarely leads to permanent deafness and will ease with medication alongside other flare-up symptoms.
The most common type of hearing loss someone may experience with MS is sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), which is known as nerve-related hearing loss. It happens when the hair cells inside the inner ear or the hearing nerve are damaged. It is the most common type of hearing loss and can happen at any age for a variety of reasons, such as age, disease, infection, head trauma, or genetic factors.
Typically, hearing loss in people with MS only affects one ear rather than both. This is also often a temporary problem that happens during relapses. It can also happen before MS has been diagnosed as an early symptom. In rare cases, people can lose hearing in both ears simultaneously or in one ear first and then in the other. If this happens, it’s important to speak to a hearing care professional so they can assess you for other diseases.
Sudden hearing loss can be extremely daunting as you rapidly lose a certain amount of hearing sensitivity in a short period of time, usually between a few hours or over a couple of days. This is a type of SNHL and makes normal conversations sound like whispers, which can make daily life much more difficult. Those who suffer from sudden hearing loss are sometimes in the early stages of MS. But, it can also be a sign of an MS relapse, depending on how the nerve damage affects you.
Some hearing problems MS may cause include:
Hearing loss can be diagnosed by undergoing a hearing test carried out by an audiologist. A variety of tests will often be performed, such as otoscopy, tympanometry, pure tone audiometry, and speech tests. These tests will help determine if your hearing loss is caused by MS or something else, and further treatment can then be prescribed to help manage the symptoms.
If hearing problems are the result of MS, you may be prescribed steroids to help reduce swelling and ease pressure on the nerves. Hearing aids can also help with temporary hearing loss and tinnitus caused by MS. There are many different types of hearing aids, from behind-the-ear and receiver-in-canal to in-ear and invisible hearing aids. When it comes to choosing the right hearing aid, your audiologist will work alongside you to help choose the best ones for your needs, budget and level of hearing loss.
To conclude, while it’s uncommon to suffer from hearing loss with MS, it’s not impossible. You may experience other hearing problems, such as tinnitus and sensitivity to sound, during an MS flare-up. However, it very rarely leads to permanent deafness and can be treated with medications or hearing aids.