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.
Numbness of the face, body, or extremities (arms and legs) is often the first symptom experienced by those eventually diagnosed as having 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.
People should consider the diagnosis of MS if they have one or more of these symptoms: vision loss in one or both eyes. acute paralysis in the legs or along one side of the body. acute numbness and tingling in a limb.
Those symptoms include loss of vision in an eye, loss of power in an arm or leg or a rising sense of numbness in the legs. Other common symptoms associated with MS include spasms, fatigue, depression, incontinence issues, sexual dysfunction, and walking difficulties.
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.
Tinnitus is one of the most elusive conditions that health care professionals face. It is an auditory perception not directly produced externally. It is commonly described as a hissing, roaring, ringing or whooshing sound in one or both ears, called tinnitus aurium, or in the head, called tinnitus cranii.
The 'MS hug' is symptom of MS that feels like an uncomfortable, sometimes painful feeling of tightness or pressure, usually around your stomach or chest. The pain or tightness can stretch all around the chest or stomach, or it can be just on one side. The MS hug can feel different from one person to another.
Electrical, burning or recurrent stabbing pain sometimes occurs with MS, especially on the head. Severe bouts of pain lasting seconds to minutes from the ear to the jaw, cheek or forehead is known as trigeminal neuralgia.
Otosclerosis happens when a tiny bone inside your ear, called the stapes, joins (fuses) with other parts of the ear and stops you being able to hear properly. It's not known why otosclerosis happens, but it may be passed on in families. You are more likely to get otosclerosis if a close relative has it.
In most cases, vertigo happens because of conditions that affect your inner ear. Doctors call this peripheral vertigo. When brain conditions like multiple sclerosis cause the condition, they call it central vertigo.
Pulsatile tinnitus and muscular tinnitus are two forms that can be classified as rhythmic tinnitus. In pulsatile tinnitus, the characteristic sound mirrors or keeps pace (synchronizes) with a person's heartbeat. It is rarely described as a ringing sound, but more often as a whooshing, pulsing, or screeching sound.
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.
While those sounds frequently are characterized as “ringing” or “buzzing” in the ears, people with tinnitus may experience other noises like roaring, hissing, humming, clicking, or whooshing sounds.
With plugged ears, your eustachian tubes — which run between your middle ear and the back of your nose — become blocked. You may experience a feeling of fullness or pressure in your ears. You may also have ear pain, dizziness and muffled hearing. As swelling from the cold subsides, the blockage usually resolves.
Allergies, head colds, pregnancy, and air pressure are some common reasons it may feel like your ears are full. Typically, plugged ears settle after a few days. Decongestants and nasal sprays are the best treatment for plugged ears that allergies and head colds cause.
Muffled hearing can occur in one or both ears. When the condition occurs in one ear, it's likely a sign of a single-sided ear infection, a clogged ear or earwax buildup. Muffled hearing due to sinus infections or changes in pressure while flying or changing altitudes typically occurs in both ears.
An MRI scanner uses a strong magnetic field to create a detailed image of inside your brain and spinal cord. It's very accurate and can pinpoint the exact location and size of any inflammation, damage or scarring (lesions). MRI scans confirm a diagnosis in over 90 per cent of people with MS.
Here's where MS (typically) starts
Although a number of MS symptoms can appear early on, two stand out as occurring more often than others: Optic neuritis, or inflammation of the optic nerve, is usually the most common, Shoemaker says. You may experience eye pain, blurred vision and headache.
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.
Neurological examination
Your neurologist will look for abnormalities, changes or weakness in your vision, eye movements, hand or leg strength, balance and co-ordination, speech and reflexes. These may show whether your nerves are damaged in a way that might suggest MS.