Some sufferers find the condition “intense and debilitating.”
A British GP has advised people to get checked if they can hear a “heartbeat” sound in their ears.
The condition is known as Pulsatile Tinnitus (PT) and leads to people hearing a whooshing sensation, similar to that of a heartbeat.
Some of those who suffer from it may find the condition slightly annoying, while others have described it as “intense and debilitating.”
The condition is usually linked to other health conditions such as high blood pressure or an overactive thyroid.
In some extreme cases, the condition can be an early indicator of an aneurysm or tumour.
Dr Ahmed explained the condition in a video on TikTok.
He said: “It’s down to a changing blood flow in the small blood vessels inside your ear. We may also refer you for a hearing test, and most people will also need some further investigations.
“Sometimes, your blood flow can become more turbulent, and the most common causes for this are things like aneurysms and atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries).
“You can also get something called localised increased blood flow which means a particular blood vessel has an increased supply to it.
“This most often is down to a tumour.”
However, Dr Ahmed assures that “most tumours associated with PT are benign.”
He added: “This symptom must always get checked out.
“Almost all the time it is not caused by anything worrying but there are some sinister causes which need to get ruled out.”
