By Ayesha Gulzar Tinnitus and headache are often linked, and they may share common causes. Disturbances in the central nervous system and auditory pathways can cause both conditions.
Headaches and tinnitus symptoms potentially overlap with the same pathophysiological factors. Based on different studies, it may be assumed that headache as a coexisting condition may be a relevant factor in causing tinnitus and vice versa.
Read below to understand different factors studied to understand the corelation of these conditions.
What Is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is often described as ringing in the ears. It is the perception of sound without an actual external sound. It is a symptom of an underlying condition rather than a single disease.
Tinnitus can sound like roaring, clicking, hissing, or buzzing. It may be soft or loud, high-pitched or low-pitched. You might hear it in either one or both ears.1
Millions of people worldwide have tinnitus. It is a frequent disorder, which is reported by about 10% of the population.2 People with severe tinnitus may have trouble hearing, working, or sleeping.
What Are The Causes of Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a very distressing otological disorder (ear and hearing related problem). Sometimes, it accompanies symptoms that lower the quality of life, such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, hearing loss, and hyperacusis (extreme sensitivity to sound).
The severity of tinnitus is not necessarily related to its loudness or characteristics of how it affects you. Most people with tinnitus are not significantly bothered by it. However, others experience headaches, anxiety, depression, and extreme life changes.
The major causes that can affect the ear canal and cause the problem may include:3
- Noise trauma (such as after concerts)
- Administration of ototoxic drugs (e.g., aminoglycosides, cisplatin, and salicylates)
- Neck injuries
- Head injuries
Tinnitus And Headache
Tinnitus and headaches are often correlated, and some studies suggest that headaches may contribute to tinnitus. Disturbances in the central nervous system may cause both conditions. This correlation has different aspects, and other studies support it.
- People with a history of migraines are more likely to experience tinnitus. Up to 45% of people with tinnitus also have migraines.
- Between 26% and 47% of people with tinnitus also have headaches. Headaches are more common in people with severe tinnitus.
How Can Tinnitus Causes Headache?
Tinnitus is strongly associated with anxiety, depression, and stress and even with an increased risk of suicide attempts. The combination of these psychological comorbidities with tinnitus has a significant impact on quality of life.
Along with these health problems, headaches also have an impact on tinnitus. Recent studies reveal a high prevalence of headaches (26–56%) in children, adolescents, and people with tinnitus.4
The pathophysiology of tinnitus is derived from a failure to adapt to missing sensory information. Concomitant with hearing loss, the brain attempts to compensate for the decreased sensory input, causing an increased neural activity (a pathway that connects brain and body) in the hearing pathway resulting in headache.
Other structures, such as the amygdala (a brain region associated with emotions), have been shown to interact with the auditory pathway in tinnitus patients. Mechanisms involved in chronic pain have also been evidenced in tinnitus.5
Other studies show that headache and tinnitus also share common mechanisms characterized by abnormal brain activity changes. Furthermore, alterations in the trigeminal system (a nerve system that sends signals between the face and brain) form a basis for developing headaches, migraines, and tinnitus.
Another factor can include trigeminal nerve (a nerve that sends signals between the face and brain) inflammation, which can increase swelling and inflammation in the brain and inner ear, which can cause headaches and tinnitus symptoms.
Can Tinnitus Cause Migraine?
Headaches are of different types, and migraine is a common primary headache disorder. Since headaches are very common problem. The co-occurrence of tinnitus and migraine could be coincidental. However, two longitudinal studies show that a history of migraine is a risk factor for the development of tinnitus.6
Common triggers such as stress, sleep disturbances, and diet can cause both tinnitus and migraines. During migraine attacks, the trigeminal nerve activates the part of the brain that controls the auditory (ear canal) pathway, which can increase sensitivity and cause tinnitus.
A Word From Writer
Headaches have been related to tinnitus, yet little is known on how headaches impact tinnitus. Headaches have been suggested as an important co-factor for tinnitus but there is limited knowledge on how tinnitus and headache are related. However, more research is required to know the exact cause of corelation between these two problems.
References:
- MedlinePlus. Tinnitus ↩︎
- Langguth, B., Hund, V., Busch, V., Jürgens, T. P., Lainez, J. M., Landgrebe, M., & Schecklmann, M. (2015). Tinnitus and Headache. BioMed research international, 2015, 797416. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/797416 ↩︎
- Han BI, Lee HW, Ryu S, Kim JS. Tinnitus Update. J Clin Neurol. 2021 Jan;17(1):1-10. doi: 10.3988/jcn.2021.17.1.1. PMID: 33480192; PMCID: PMC7840320. ↩︎
- Dobie RA. Depression and tinnitus. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2003;36(2):383-388. doi:10.1016/s0030-6665(02)00168-8 ↩︎
- Jaramillo CA, Eapen BC, McGeary CA, et al. A cohort study examining headaches among veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan wars: Associations with traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and depression. Headache. 2016;56(3):528-539. doi:10.1111/head.12726 ↩︎
- Sindhusake D, Golding M, Newall P, Rubin G, Jakobsen K, Mitchell P. Risk factors for tinnitus in a population of older adults: the blue mountains hearing study. Ear Hear. 2003;24(6):501-507. doi:10.1097/01.AUD.0000100204.08771.3D
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