permanent hearing loss
 

i have severe bilateral hearing loss and I wear hearing aids and I just found an abstract called "irreversible cochlear damage in myasthenia gravis--otoacoustic emission analysis." It seems that acetylcholine is the main neurotransmitter of the auditory system!! And MG patients are suffering from permanent damage every time they have a progression in their disease.

I had my first huge drop in hearing when I first got sick and everytime I go through a big bout I get another drop and I keep telling the doctors that I think that this is all somehow connected and they look at me like I am nuts. I know I am still unconfirmed MG, but could this be my unifying theory?

Has anyone else been suffering from hearing loss?

debra

Debra, I do not experience a loss of hearing. I can have "hyperacusis" sometimes, which is an oversensitivity to sounds which is typical of MG. There are muscles in our ears, you know! ;)

There are so many reasons for hearing loss, such as celiac disease. I hope you seek out an ENT doctor to fully assess your loss. I'm sorry you are having troubles hearing.

Annie

Debra,
I don't have hearing loss, but I definitely have a change in my hearing since I got MG. It seems that if two people talk at once, or there are two competing sounds, I have a hard time listening...before MG I could focus and one voice and hear it all and still be able to understand most of the second voice or sound. Now, most of the time, the voices mix together and I can't understand what is said. At the same time, my ears are more sensitive to loud sounds, I cover my ears a lot if there is a loud sound because it makes me uncomfortable. Both of these things get worse when my MG is bad.

I do remember reading about hearing loss as a symptom of another autoimmune disorder, but I can't remember what it was just now.

I hope you get this figured out soon.

My hearing is more sensitive. I keep the TV volume so low no one else can hear it when they visit. Also, when I'm getting my IVIG, if someone else has control of the remote and turns the volume way up (at least to me it's high!), I just stuff some tissues in years to mute the sound!

Abnormal sensitivity is a symptom associated with MG in the studies I found, as was depressed or absent middle ear reflexes. Also, middle ear pressures are often negative. Mg patients also have an increased threshold and early decay of the stapedius reflex.

My audiologist who has been just wonderful over the last 3 years, is doing some research on the topic and I'll let you all know what I find out. So far I have all of the above issues except negative ear pressures which are "often found."

My hearing is too far gone to have this part tested but the transient evoked otoacoustic emissions are very low in MG patients too. It is nice to think we could have one test that is painless that may help us out!

I was really interested in the possibility of diagnosing MG from the standpoint of the ear but I guess there are many other issues that can cause some of these things. When you add them up though, I guess the pattern has to mean something though, wouldn't you hope? I know I do. . .

Desert flower: I hate to tell you this but what you are describing is called the cocktail party phenomena: where you are having trouble hearing one conversation over another. That was my first symptom that something was wrong with my hearing. It is much easier to focus on a one on one conversation with no outside influences. This is a symptom of hearing loss. . .you may want to get a screening.

debra