 Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is an uncommon
symptom of MS. About 6% of people who have MS complain of impaired hearing. In
very rare cases, hearing loss has been reported as the first symptom of the
disease. Deafness due to MS is exceedingly rare, and most acute episodes of
hearing deficit caused by MS generally improve.
Hearing loss may take place
during an acute exacerbation. An exacerbation is a sudden worsening of an MS
symptom or symptoms, or the appearance of new symptoms, which lasts at least 24
hours and is separated from a previous exacerbation by at least one month. An
exacerbation is also known as an attack, a relapse, or a flare.
Linked to
Other Symptoms That Suggest Brainstem Damage
Hearing loss is usually
associated with other symptoms that suggest damage to the brainstem¾the
part of the nervous system that contains the nerves that help to control vision,
hearing, balance, and equilibrium. Hearing deficits caused by MS are thought to
be due to inflammation and/or scarring around the eighth cranial nerve (the
auditory nerve) as it enters the brainstem, although plaques at other sites
along the auditory pathways could also contribute to hearing problems. Plaques
are abnormal areas that develop on nerves whose myelin¾the
fatty sheath that surrounds and protects nerve fibers¾has
been destroyed. Plaques cause the nerve impulses to be slowed or halted,
producing the symptoms of MS.
Because hearing deficits are
so uncommon in MS, people with MS who do develop hearing loss should have their
hearing thoroughly evaluated to rule out other causes.
| 
