Q I have high blood pressure and pulsatile tinnitus has started. Is my blood pressure related to the tinnitus?
A Yes. Pulsatile tinnitus that throbs with your heartbeat requires checking for vascular causes first. When you have high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, or carotid artery stenosis, turbulent flow in the blood vessels around the ear can be heard as sound, so blood pressure control and vascular evaluation are important.
Detailed Answer
Pulsatile tinnitus is tinnitus heard throbbing or surging in time with the heartbeat, and unlike ordinary tinnitus, vascular causes must be ruled out first. When there is high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, carotid artery stenosis, or a venous sinus abnormality, the blood flowing through the vessels around the ear can create turbulence that is heard as sound. If new pulsatile tinnitus develops in a patient with high blood pressure, evaluation such as vascular ultrasound and MRA along with an ENT is recommended. If it is accompanied by headache, visual disturbance, or facial sensory abnormality, you should go to the emergency room immediately.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
In Korean medicine, the combination of pulsatile tinnitus and high blood pressure is often connected to Ascendant Liver-Yang (ganyang-sanghang) — a state in which the yang energy of the Liver rises excessively upward, raising both blood pressure and head heat together. After vascular evaluation is complete, Dongjedang combines Korean medicine treatment in a direction that, along with stabilizing blood pressure, subdues the Liver-Yang and stabilizes blood flow to the head. If you are taking blood pressure medication, you must be sure to tell us your medications so we can safely compose the prescription.
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