Ears ringing (Tinnitus)

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MarkA

New member
Joined
May 28, 2012
Messages
1
Location
Victoria, BC, Canada
I'm a 43 year old male with BAV. I was diagnosed with BAV about 5 years ago. I have an echo scheduled in the near future. Lately, I've been experiencing a few mild symptoms that may or may not be related to my heart condition. One of them is my ears have been ringing off and on for a couple of weeks. It doesn't really get that bad or uncomfortable but it's definitely noticeable - especially in the afternoon.

Is Tinnitus/Ear ringing a known symptom of aortic valve stenosis or any other BAV related issue?
 
Is Tinnitus/Ear ringing a known symptom of aortic valve stenosis or any other BAV related issue?

Good question and I'm looking forward to the answeres you get. I have had ringing in my ears for many years. At first it was not very noticeable, but has gotten worse over the years. Now, it is often loud enough to be distracting and annoying. My wife tells me I am just an old man who is "hard of hearing". I am seeing my doc next week, for my INR visit, and I'll ask him.....because the ringing is beginning to get on my nerves.
 
A common medication for valve patients, Aspirin, is known to cause tinnitus but usually only in high doses. Just this past week, though, someone here reported this as a possibility taking only Aspirin 81, but not sure any definitive conclusion had been reached yet. Another potentially related condition, high blood pressure, also causes. There are far more unrelated causes, though. If you look on the MayoClinic website, there should be a long list.
 
I'm calling my cardio about the same thing on Monday. For the last few months, I've been hearing what sounds like blood rushing through my ears. Usually in the evening. I've read that it could be a sign of labile hypertension, so we'll see. I've also been getting my ocular migraine auras with increasing frequency, and I'm not convinced they're not all somehow related.
Good luck - maybe give your doc a shout? Let us know what he says!
 
Hi Mark,

I'm also looking forward to any info you may get. I have tinnitus as well but don't know whether it started after my valve replacement or not. I also go through frequent phases when I can hear my heart beating (sometimes quite strongly) in my right ear. Very odd, but at least I know the valve's clicking away. : )

Best wishes.
 
Add me to the list of BAVs with annoying tinnitus.
My BP is low, don't take Aspirin, have been taking Coumadin and Metoprolol for the past 6 years, and my hearing is very good.
So don't really know why I have this annoying ringing, but apparently it is somewhat common.
 
I don't know if Tinnitus is associated with BAV, but I do know that many w/o BAV have Tinnitus.
 
I can remember when i was a child asking my Dad about the high pitched sound i heard at night. He also had tinnitus all his life but no BAV. i still have it but it's something I have had all my life so it's my "normal". When I was in my 20's ( 30 some years ago), I heard my pulse pounding in my ears and it drove me crazy. I had a workup to make sure it wasn't anything bad - it wasn't - and it went away on its own in about 6 months, never to return.
 
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My ears started ringing about a year or so ago and now i also have loud whoosing whenever i bend over, lean forward, lay down, etc. It's really annoying and always makes me think something crazy is happening. I just saw my cardiologist and am getting closer to BAV replacement - he said unfortunately the whoosing will probably just get worse until it is time for surgery. He said what happens is as the blood speeds up going through a smaller and smaller valve opening, more turbulence and bubbles are created in the artery that passes right next to the ear drum, which causes the noise.
 
Tinitus can be associated with valve disorders according to my cardiologist, but it is by no means a clear symptom. My own case history is that over a decade ago I was diagnosed with a BAV, however, I was asymtomatic and led an active life (sub 3 hour marathons in my 'glory' years!). Two years ago I went to a specialist to treat tinitus which I had had for many years. He immediately made the connection with my BAV and referred me to a cardiologist who found I had an aneurysm in my ascending aorta which needed fixing in short order. The connection between tinitus and these types of disorders probably saved my life, however, I still have tinitus so the two were probably not related in my own case!
 
I had a TAVR installed in June of 2021. I was told I was weeks away from death. Severe stenosis was the diagnosis. I had been having tinnitus issues for about 5 yrs before my operation. Antihistamines usually helped it go away. I would get it every 2-3 weeks and it lasted about 12 hrs. As my heart got worse. so did the tinnitus. It was extremely loud ringing in my right ear. The last couple of months before the operation, I was getting it daily. Made me think of the phrase "For whom the bell tolls" I took it as a sign the grim reaper was on my doorstep. Not one case of tinnitus since the TAVR install. BTW No pacemaker or blood thinners. Mine was a bovine valve.
 
interesting reads here, I have had tinnitus for several years, 2 years ago I was diagnosed with Menieres disease. FYI If you have sudden hearing loss see your Dr. immediately if caught early it may be curable. I am not a Dr. obviously just referring my experience. I am talking about a sudden and noticeable change in your hearing.
 
I'm calling my cardio about the same thing on Monday. For the last few months, I've been hearing what sounds like blood rushing through my ears. Usually in the evening. I've read that it could be a sign of labile hypertension, so we'll see. I've also been getting my ocular migraine auras with increasing frequency, and I'm not convinced they're not all somehow related.
Good luck - maybe give your doc a shout? Let us know what he says!
I sometimes hear the blood rushing through my ears. I don't know if it's related to blood pressure. In my case, I think it's more a case of ear wax that is blocking my ear canal.

In my case, digging out a pound or two of wax usually clears it up.

(I also get tinnitus, and I can't really predict when it will start or stop. I take 81 mg of aspirin daily, but have no idea if this contributes to the tinnitus or not).

One other thing - most people mispronounce the word, saying something like 'tinn itis' - it's not an 'itis' - one of my college professors, an M.D. was particularly annoyed by the mispronunciation and drilled into the class (a non-medical class, by the way) that the correct pronunciation is the way it's spelled.
 
I had a TAVR installed in June of 2021. I was told I was weeks away from death. Severe stenosis was the diagnosis. I had been having tinnitus issues for about 5 yrs before my operation. Antihistamines usually helped it go away. I would get it every 2-3 weeks and it lasted about 12 hrs. As my heart got worse. so did the tinnitus. It was extremely loud ringing in my right ear. The last couple of months before the operation, I was getting it daily. Made me think of the phrase "For whom the bell tolls" I took it as a sign the grim reaper was on my doorstep. Not one case of tinnitus since the TAVR install. BTW No pacemaker or blood thinners. Mine was a bovine valve.
I've had tinnitus non stop since 96
 

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