The course of MS is unpredictable and can cause a variety of symptoms in different people. It may cause hearing problems and other symptoms that have to do with the function of the inner ear, such as hearing loss, tinnitus, balance problems, and a muffled or full feeling in the ear.
Hearing problems aren't a common MS symptom. But people with MS can sometimes experience problems including tinnitus, increased sensitivity to sound and loss of hearing. There are other possible causes of hearing problems which are more common than MS.
Note that the development of tinnitus, as well as any sudden change in hearing or in the inner ear, may indicate an MS flare. If you're experiencing these types of symptoms for the first time, contact your neurologist. Your health care team can help you manage these and other symptoms of a flare.
Hearing problems caused by MS are thought to be due to damage to the brainstem - the part of the brain that is also involved in vision and balance. Problems are often associated with other brainstem symptoms such as tinnitus and vertigo. Sudden hearing problems can show that you are having a relapse.
The cause of hearing loss can be due to non-MS related issues but in MS, can be associated with damage to the hearing nerve pathways in the brain and the brainstem. Hearing loss may also take place during an acute exacerbation. In very rare cases, hearing loss has been reported as the first symptom of the disease.
Overview. Dizziness is a common symptom of MS. People with MS may feel off balance or lightheaded. Much less often, they have the sensation that they or their surroundings are spinning — a condition known as vertigo.
Ménière's disease is a disorder of the inner ear that causes severe dizziness (vertigo), ringing in the ears (tinnitus), hearing loss, and a feeling of fullness or congestion in the ear. Ménière's disease usually affects only one ear.
Sometimes, tinnitus is a sign of high blood pressure, an allergy, or anemia. In rare cases, tinnitus is a sign of a serious problem such as a tumor or aneurysm. Other risk factors for tinnitus include temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), diabetes, thyroid problems, obesity, and head injury.
Many people with MS experience dizziness, in which you feel light-headed or off-balance, notes the NMSS. A less-common MS symptom is vertigo. When you have vertigo, you feel as though your surroundings are spinning around you, Dr. Kalb says, or that you are spinning.
Floaters are a common ocular symptom for individuals with multiple sclerosis, but MS isn't a leading cause. On their own, floaters don't usually indicate serious conditions. Eye conditions like optic neuritis can be an early warning sign of oncoming multiple sclerosis.
An individual with ear fullness has a sensation of blockage in the ear. This can make hearing sound muffled or a person may experience crackling or popping noises in the ear. Ear congestion may last only a few seconds or up to a few days.
Feeling fatigued is one of the most common and troublesome symptoms of MS. It's often described as an overwhelming sense of exhaustion that means it can be a struggle to carry out even the simplest activities.
In fact, it's estimated that more than half of people living with MS will develop cognitive issues. People may experience such things as forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, and confusion. Brain fog is also referred to as “brain haze” or “cog fog” — short for cognitive fog.
Common causes of blocked or plugged up ears
Why is sound muffled when there doesn't appear to be anything inside your ear canal? The causes can range from the earwax to allergies to infections (yes, including COVID) to more insidious conditions like an anxiety disorder or Meniere's disease.
If your ears make too much wax or if earwax isn't cleared well enough, it may build up and block your ear canal. Earwax blockages often happen when people try to get earwax out on their own by using cotton swabs or other items in their ears. This usually just pushes wax deeper into the ear, rather than removing it.
Sinus or ear infections, allergies and other respiratory viruses — all of which can cause swelling and fluid in the ear — are common causes of Eustachian tube dysfunction.
Ear pressure occurs when the eustachian tube cannot properly regulate the air pressure in the ear. There are many causes, such as a sudden change in altitude, ear infections, foreign objects stuck in the ear, ear wax build-up, allergies, Meniere's disease, and acoustic neuroma.
Ménière's disease is a rare disorder that affects the inner ear. It can cause vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and a feeling of pressure deep inside the ear.
Early MS symptoms may include blurred vision, numbness, dizziness, muscle weakness, and coordination issues. MS is progressive and can worsen over time. Eventually, the disease can do damage directly to the nerves, causing permanent disability.
Tremors can be a symptom of MS - a trembling or shaking movement you can't control. This could appear as shaking hands, or tremors in other parts of the body. Some kinds of MS tremors can be called 'ataxia'. Like other MS symptoms tremors can come and go, or they could be longer lasting.
This can make pressure hard to define and measure: The feeling can range from barely noticeable to unbearably painful, and everything in between. This is how MS-related head pressure feels to a few MyMSTeam members: “It feels as if my head has a tight band around it and is being squeezed very tightly.”