Q&A

Subject: Vertigo and hearing problems

From: RP

Dear Sir,
I am a 36 year old female who has been experiencing a hearing problem. I cannot hear loud, shrill or high noises. Instead I hear static. This happens when the crowd at the ball game roars, when my children are arguing and screaming at each other, or even when they are singing loudly and shrilly.

I was not very concerned until last week when I experienced an episode of vertigo. This has never happened to me before and it was quite frightful. I was examined by an Ear, Nose & Throat doctor and tested by an audiologist. They found no problems with my middle and inner ears. They did find that a Wave is missing in a test they conducted but said it was inconclusive of anything.

I am still concerned about this. Is it common for many hearing problems to go undiagnosed? Can you give me a clue as to what my next step should be? I would appreciate your advice.
Thank You

Dear RP,
It is not normal to have loud sounds turn into static and I hope you seek further until you find an explanation which makes sense. I have found that individuals with severe high frequency hearing loss sometimes report that they hear just an "open line" sound when test tones are presented but they have no sense of tonality or pitch to those sounds. You say, however, that results were normal except for the "missing wave."

I can understand that no single test result can be interpreted out of context...you should view the whole battery together, but you have a string of symptoms: loss of tonality, vertigo as well as the missing wave. It makes a difference in interpretation depending on which test resulted in that wave. In otoacoustic emission testing, we don't yet have enough clinical data to make a specific diagnosis but a irregular wave composit can be a red flag and trigger additional testing. Likewise, if a wave is missing on a BSER test (Brainstem Evoked Response) it again can serve as a red flag for additional testing. At the very least, if your symptoms persist, consider returning to the ENT and audiologist for repeat testing in 6 to 8 weeks to see if results have changed. Ask if they would consider having an MRI taken to see if there are structural abnormalities associated with the inner ear or neural pathways.

There is one other comment to make: The ear has a reflex action, designed to protect the inner ear from loud noises, that can make a static like noise when it "kicks in". Frequently it will function on applause or other loud crowd noises, as well as on sudden sharp noises like gun shots. This reflex may be what you are hearing, and it is not something to worry about. It is just protecting you from loud noise (perhaps too soon in your case, before the noise gets dangerously loud). It should not be associated with vertigo, however.


Good Luck
Solveig