Archive for the ‘Hearing Loss’ Category

“Bachelor Contestant” Has Hearing Loss Due to Lyme

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/daisy-kent-actually-makes-spoiler-

Daisy Kent Actually Makes It To [SPOILER] On Joey’s ‘Bachelor’ Season

Korin Miller
Article Excerpts:

When she was 15, she woke up and realized she couldn’t hear when her dad had trouble waking her up. “He was shaking me, and I was like, ‘This is weird,’” she told CBS 8. “I looked at him, I couldn’t hear him, then sat up and realized something was wrong with my left ear.”

Daisy said she had “a lot of high-pitched ringing and then just progressively got worse, and I couldn’t understand speech very well.” She said the experience was “super isolating” and that she felt very alone at the time.

When she was 17, she was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease, a disorder of the inner ear. At 21, tests confirmed that she also had Lyme disease, which doctors think could have potentially caused her Meniere’s disease.

Daisy ended up experiencing seizures, hair loss, joint pain, and severe dizziness, according to a video she made for NEXA Cares.

Hearing aids didn’t work for Daisy, so she ended up getting a cochlear implant, which allows people with profound hearing loss to hear better, per CBS 8.

She actually documented her experience on TikTok and built up a big following.   (See link for article, videos and pictures)

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Lyme & Sensory Overload

https://www.globallymealliance.org/blog/lyme-disease-and-sensory-overload

Lyme Disease and Sensory Overload

by Jennifer Crystal on August 22, 2022

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Lyme disease can result in sensory overloading, causing patients to develop a sensitivity to both light and sound.

A few years ago, some new friends invited me for a night out at what I thought was going to be a quiet restaurant. When I got to the establishment, though, I discovered it was a club with strobe lights and loud music. Wanting to be polite, I sat down at a table with the group and tried to make conversation. I lasted about five minutes before I needed to excuse myself.

Before I got sick with the tick-borne illnesses Lyme disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and possible bartonella, I enjoyed nights out at clubs. I danced the night away to loud music. I never even noticed lighting. Now, the neurological effects of my illnesses cause sensory overload, with particular sensitivity to light and sound. Bright flashing lights, fast-moving images on a screen, or even fluorescent lighting in a store can make me want to turn away and close my eyes. Loud noises ranging from music to an action-packed movie make me quickly cover my ears or turn down the volume.

Doctors Explain the Science Behind These Lyme Symptoms

As Brian A. Fallon, MD and Jennifer Sotsky, MD explain in their book Conquering Lyme Disease: Science Bridges the Great Divide, “Lyme disease can affect the sensorium early and severely, and such effects, in some cases, persist beyond recovery from other symptoms.”[i] The disease can affect the sensorium via the infection itself and systemic immune effects, changes in neurotransmitter balance, and altered neural pathways, all impacting sensory processing. For some patients, this might mean sensitivity to extreme lights or sounds that can cause a flare of other neurological symptoms. Just a few minutes of overload can bring on a sense of my head feeling “full,” brain fog, or twitching and burning extremities. Drs. Fallon and Sotsky note, “Exposure to light may lead to headaches, eye pain, or even panic attacks. It can be very helpful to recognize that the feeling of extreme anxiety in certain settings is related to sensory issues rather than coming out of the blue or in reaction to interpersonal tension.”

For other patients, the sensitivity may come from more subtle light or sound exposure, things that other people might not notice but that can send the Lyme patient’s nervous system into overdrive. I know one patient who felt like she was listening to loud music if someone merely whispered on the other side of the room. Repetitive noises, like a ticking clock, can be especially grating. “Most of us take for granted that our senses provide us with a more or less accurate representation of the external world,” write Drs. Fallon and Sotsky. “But when colors appear suddenly too intensely bright, or normal ambient sounds, rather than being soothing, grate against us like a rasp on metal or fingernails on a blackboard, then there is a brutal awakening to the fact that we are, in our very essential being, at the mercy of our sensory apparatus.”

What Lyme Patients Can Do to Control These Symptoms

Because sensory overload may or may not improve with treatment as other symptoms do, patients need to learn to control external factors that can set this symptom off. For example, I have realized that I can handle watching a movie in the theater as long as I don’t sit too close to the screen, and as long I as wait in the lobby during previews, which tend to be particularly loud and flashy. I’ve gotten rid of ticking clocks from my home. I’ve turned off the “zoom” feature on my phone, so it doesn’t look like the apps are flying at me when I open the screen.

Making these lifestyle adjustments can be frustrating, especially if you’re someone who previously enjoyed big shows and now cannot. For me, the modifications are worth it to avoid neurological symptom flares. And while my sensory overload has not gone away, it has improved over time. When I was acutely ill, I couldn’t even watch a movie on a small screen at home. Loud voices were too much for me. My tolerance has improved, and now I can handle acoustic concerts and stores with fluorescent lights. And I don’t need a club scene to enjoy a night out with friends. I just need their company, which is more fun anyway when I don’t have to shout over loud music to talk to them

To read more GLA blogs, click here.

The above material is provided for information purposes only. The material (a) is not nor should be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, nor (b) does it necessarily represent endorsement by or an official position of Global Lyme Alliance, Inc. or any of its directors, officers, advisors or volunteers. Advice on the testing, treatment or care of an individual patient should be obtained through consultation with a physician who has examined that patient or is familiar with that patient’s medical history. 

[i] Fallon, Brian A., MD and Sotsky, Jennifer, MD. Conquering Lyme Disease: Science Bridges the Great Divide. New York: Columbia University Press, 2018 (315).

Writer

Jennifer Crystal

Opinions expressed by contributors are their own. Jennifer Crystal is a writer and educator in Boston. Her work has appeared in local and national publications including Harvard Health Publishing and The Boston Globe. As a GLA columnist for over six years, her work on GLA.org has received mention in publications such as The New Yorker, weatherchannel.com, CQ Researcher, and ProHealth.com. Jennifer is a patient advocate who has dealt with chronic illness, including Lyme and other tick-borne infections. Her memoir about her medical journey is forthcoming. Contact her via email below.

Email: lymewarriorjennifercrystal@gmail.com

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Hearing Loss, Lyme

Lyme Disease Triggers Vertigo & Hearing Loss

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-disease-vertigo-hearing-loss/

Lyme disease triggers vertigo and hearing loss

woman with lyme disease and vertigo sitting and holding head

Vertigo (spinning sensation or feeling off balance) and hearing loss have been reported in several studies as symptoms of Lyme disease. One study found 4 out of 27 patients with neurologic Lyme disease experienced hearing loss.¹ Vertigo was reported in 5 out of 8 Lyme disease patients (62.5%) by Selmani et al.² Additionally, investigators suggest that vertigo can be the predominant symptom in patients with confirmed Lyme disease — its symptoms resembling neuronitis vestibularis in the acute stage.³

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A recently published study by Sowula and colleagues provides further evidence that Lyme disease can trigger vertigo and hearing loss. In their article “Vertigo as one of the symptoms of Lyme disease,” the authors examine the frequency of vertigo symptoms and potential labyrinth damage in patients with diagnosed Lyme disease.4

The study included 38 patients (ages 20 to 77) with Lyme disease, who were hospitalized at University Hospital in Krakow, Poland, between 2018 and 2019, due to vertigo or dizziness.

“One alleged group of diseases which can trigger vertigo involves infectious diseases of the nervous system,” the authors explain.

“Many pathogens are said to be in part responsible for inflammation; among them are spirochetes of Borrelia [the causative agent of Lyme disease] as well as other pathogens transmitted by ticks.”

The study found:

  • 76% of the Lyme disease patients reported vertigo (54% of them were woman compared to 22% of men);
  • Hearing loss and tinnitus were symptoms which frequently accompanied vertigo;
  • 1 in 3 patients experienced sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), which was bilateral in 2 individuals and presented as sudden deafness in 2 other individuals. The hearing loss was significant for high frequency hearing loss but not low frequency hearing loss;
  • Tinnitus was reported in 3 out of 5 of the Lyme disease patients, the majority of whom experienced high frequency tinnitus.

“Increasingly, tick-borne illnesses [such as Lyme disease] are a potential cause of neurological symptoms reported by patients, including hearing loss, tinnitus, ataxia and vertigo.”

The authors conclude:

“It [vertigo] is frequently connected with labyrinth damage and hearing-organ impairment, which suggests that in the course of this disease the inner ear or nerve VIII is dysfunctional … Antibiotic therapy is effective in reducing otoneurological symptoms.”4

Related Articles:

Lyme disease patient with permanent tinnitus and hearing loss
Study finds hearing loss and tinnitus common in patients with tick-borne diseases
Video: Co-infections of Lyme disease

References:
  1. Logigian EL, Kaplan RF, Steere AC. Chronic neurologic manifestations of Lyme disease. N Engl J Med. Nov 22 1990;323(21):1438-44. doi:10.1056/NEJM199011223232102
  2. Selmani, Z.; Pyykkö, I. Cochlear and vestibular functional study in patients with sudden deafness an Lyme disease. IJOHNS 2014,3, 46–50.
  3. Ishizaki, H.; Pyykkö, I.; Nozue, M. Neuroborreliosis in the etiology of vestibular neuronitis. Acta Otolaryngol Suppl. 1993, 503,
    67–69.
  4. Sowula K, Szaleniec J, Dworak M, et al. Vertigo as One of the Symptoms of Lyme Disease. J Clin Med. Jun 25 2021;10(13)doi:10.3390/jcm10132814

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Hearing Loss, Lyme, research

Lyme & Sudden Hearing Loss

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-disease-triggers-hearing-loss/

LYME DISEASE AND SUDDEN ONSET HEARING LOSS

lyme-disease-sudden-onset-hearing-loss

An article by Sowula and colleagues, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, describes nine patients with Lyme disease who had sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), also referred to as sudden deafness.[1]

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The study aimed to assess the prevalence of this type of sudden onset hearing loss, particularly among Lyme disease patients. The authors explain, “Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is defined as sensorineural hearing loss of 30 dB or more over at least three adjacent audiometric frequencies occurring within a 72-h period of time.”

This type of sudden onset hearing loss can be caused by a viral infection, vascular insufficiency, autoimmune disorder, neoplasm, stroke and irradiation. 

Treatment is directed towards the cause with standard therapy typically involving corticosteroid, vasodilators, and ionotropic agents, the authors write. Unfortunately, the cause is unknown in 90% of the cases.

The study looked at 86 patients who were hospitalized, between 2017 and 2018, due to sudden sensorineural hearing loss. As part of their evaluation for sudden onset hearing loss, patients were tested for Lyme disease.

Out of 86 patients, 9 tested positive for Lyme disease. Other studies, however, indicate that up to 21% of patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss test positive for Lyme disease, the authors write.

Hearing loss patients with Lyme disease

On average, the 9 patients were around 47 years old, with an age range between 30 and 70. None of the Lyme disease patients responded to intravenous corticosteroids, microcirculatory drugs, or ionotropic drugs.

Seven of the nine patients with sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss were treated with oral doxycycline or intravenous ceftriaxone.  

Four patients were treated with doxycycline. Hearing improved by 10dB for one of the patients.

Complete hearing recovery with IV ceftriaxone

The remaining 3 patients, who were treated with intravenous ceftriaxone, had complete improvement in their hearing loss.  

“Those three patients reported a complete recovery of hearing (PTA shows respectively 15.20 dB HL for low frequency and 28.35 dB HL for high frequency),” the authors write.

“Infections caused by Borrelia burgdorferi may contribute to the development of inflammatory and angiopathic lesions, which are a possible cause of [sudden sensorineural hearing loss].”

Unfortunately, 2 patients were left with high-frequency tinnitus. “In these patients, tinnitus was present from the beginning of the disease,” the authors write.

The group of 9 Lyme disease patients “was treated with antibiotics and experienced partial or complete regression of their deafness,” the authors conclude. “This may suggest a relationship between [sudden sensorineural hearing loss] and Lyme disease.”

“The longer the duration of the infection, the greater the likelihood of permanent and irreversible changes in the vessels of the cochlea or auditory nerve,” the authors caution.

Related Article:

Lyme disease patient with permanent tinnitus and hearing loss

References:
  1. Sowula K, Szaleniec J, Stolcman K, Ceranowicz P, Kocon S, Tomik J. Association between Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Lyme Disease. J Clin Med. Mar 8 2021;10(5)doi:10.3390/jcm10051130

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Lyme Disease Patient With Permanent Tinnitus & Hearing Loss

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-disease-tinnitus-hearing-loss/  Podcast here

LYME DISEASE PATIENT WITH PERMANENT TINNITUS AND HEARING LOSS

lyme-disease-tinnitus

Hello, and welcome to another Inside Lyme Podcast. I am your host Dr. Daniel Cameron. I find that the best way to get to know Lyme disease is through reviewing actual cases. In this episode, I’ll be discussing a case involving a 46-year-old man with Lyme disease who developed permanent tinnitus and hearing loss.

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Jozefowicz-Korczynska and colleagues first described this case in the journal Frontiers in Neurology in 2019.

A 46-year-old male farmer was hospitalized with a “sudden onset of tinnitus and hearing loss in the left ear, dizziness, severe balance instability, and gait ataxia,” the authors write.  (Gait ataxia consists of lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements.)

Doctors initially suspected vestibular schwannoma, which is a benign tumor of the 8th nerve (also referred to as an acoustic nerve) that affects hearing and balance. But diagnostic testing was normal.

However, a Western blot test and spinal tap revealed the patient was positive for Lyme disease. He was treated with a 3-week course of oral doxycycline, but his dizziness and gait problems persisted.

The patient did not receive any additional oral or intravenous antibiotics. Instead, he was referred to a Balance Disorders Unit for vestibular evaluation.

“Upon his examination, the patient presented with severe gait disturbance and imbalance,” the authors write.

Audiology tests indicated the man had mild to moderate sensory-neural hearing loss in both ears.

He underwent vestibular rehabilitation therapy for 10 consecutive days which significantly improved his balance. But his hearing loss and tinnitus remained.

“Unfortunately, the antibiotic therapy was not successful in decreasing hearing loss or tinnitus, suggesting permanent damage to the hearing nerve and cochlea,” write the authors.

Another study by Logigian et al. from Tufts University of Medicine found that 4 out of 27 patients with chronic neurologic Lyme disease presented with hearing loss and tinnitus.2

Meanwhile, a study in Poland revealed that 162 out of 216 patients with tick-borne diseases had otolaryngological (ear, nose, throat) symptoms.

“The most common complaint was tinnitus (76.5%) accompanied by vertigo and dizziness (53.7%), headache (39%), and unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (16.7%).”3

The following questions are discussed in this episode:

  1. Initially, doctors suspected vestibular schwannoma. Can you explain this condition and why it was considered as a possible diagnosis?
  2. The patient was tested for Lyme disease. His symptoms were not typical for Lyme, so why was testing ordered?
  3. Would more than a three-week course of doxycycline have helped resolve the man’s tinnitus and hearing loss?
  4. How common is hearing loss, vertigo, tinnitus, and gait impairment in Lyme disease?
  5. What are other causes of tinnitus and hearing loss?
  6. Why was the patient referred to a balance disorder unit and was his treatment successful?
  7. There have been several cases of hearing loss reported in the literature. Can you discuss the Tufts University and Poland studies featured in one of your blogs?
    Thanks for listening to another Inside Lyme Podcast. You can read more about these cases in my show notes and on my website @DanielCameronMD.com. As always, it is your likes, comments, reviews, and shares that help spread the word about Lyme disease. Until next time on Inside Lyme.

Please remember that the advice given is general and not intended as specific advice as to any particular patient. If you require specific advice, then please seek that advice from an experienced professional.

Inside Lyme Podcast Series

This Inside Lyme case series will be discussed on my Facebook and made available on podcast and YouTube.  As always, it is your likes, comments, and shares that help spread the word about this series and our work. If you can, please leave a review on iTunes or wherever else you get your podcasts.

References:
  1. Jozefowicz-Korczynska M, Zamyslowska-Szmytke E, Piekarska A, Rosiak O. Vertigo and Severe Balance Instability as Symptoms of Lyme Disease-Literature Review and Case Report. Front Neurol. 2019 Nov 12;10:1172.
  2. Logigian EL, Kaplan RF, Steere AC. Chronic neurologic manifestations of Lyme disease. N Engl J Med. 1990;323(21):1438-1444.
  3. Sowula K, Skladzien J, Szaleniec J, Gawlik J. Otolaryngological symptoms in patients treated for tick-borne diseases. Otolaryngol Pol. 2018;72(1):30-34.

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