Can Acid Reflux Cause Hearing Loss

Understanding How Acid Reflux Can Affect Your Ears

Whether you only suffer from minor acid reflux symptoms or have a more notable problem like GERD or LPR each set of people can be affected. Out of the 3 sets of people the people with LPR are they most likely to be affected. If you didnt know someone with LPR doesnt have the typical reflux symptoms like heartburn but is most commonly affected by pain in their throat.

The notable difference between someone with the likes of GERD and LPR in this case is that typically someone who has minor acid reflux or GERD wont experience throat symptoms and this is because the acid isnt refluxing as far up as in the case with LPR. Whereas for someone with LPR it is a frequent occurrence to have acid reach up towards the throat and mouth area. The reason this is worth mentioning is because this is exactly the same area where the acid can enter the ears where it will arrogate and inflame them.

How this actually happens is due to the tube that connects the ear to the throat called the eustachian tube. When someone is having reflux that is entering their throat this can lead to said acid entering this eustachian tube which then of course connects directly to the inner ear. This acid then causes inflammation and irritation to the ear.

Ways To Eliminate Heartburn From Viagra: Symptoms Of Acid Reflux

Acid reflux symptoms include:

• Burning sensation in the throat
• Bad taste in the mouth
• Stomach noises
• Stomach gas

People with acid reflux often feel full and nauseous. They may also feel like they need to vomit .

When avoiding heartburn due to the use of Viagra, you can use an antacid, a drug that counteracts stomach acid to relieve heartburn and indigestion. This drug is available as chewable tablets or in liquid form.

Foods that can help with acid reflux include banana, yogurt, oatmeal, melons, and green vegetables. Drinking a lot of water may also help. On the contrary, alcohol, and smoking worsen symptoms.

What Causes Gerd And Lpr

GERD and LPR can result from physical causes and/or lifestyle factors. Physical causes can include weak or abnormal muscles at the lower end of the esophagus where it meets the stomach, normally acting as a barrier for stomach contents re-entering the esophagus. Other physical causes include hiatal hernia, abnormal esophageal spasms, and slow stomach emptying. Changes like pregnancy and choices we all make daily can cause reflux as well. These choices include eating foods like chocolate, citrus, fatty foods, spicy foods or habits like overeating, eating late, lying down right after eating, and alcohol/tobacco use .

GERD and LPR in infants and children may be related to causes mentioned above, or to growth and development issues.

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Factors That Affect The Time That Viagra Lasts

The amount of Viagra one takes is a factor for how long it can last in his body. Another factor is medication. Some medications like antibiotics interact with Viagra and affect how long it lasts.

Other factors include:

• Age Metabolism slows down as people get older. This means Viagra lasts longer in older people than the younger ones. In research, it was shown that the drug lasts longest in people aged 65 years or more.
• Diet Before taking Viagra, avoid eating high-fat foods or overeating. Both conditions will prevent the effective and quick absorption of the drug.
• Overall health Having diabetes, a heart condition, or nervous system disorder can make Viagra less effective and work only for a short time. In contrast, some kidney conditions lengthen Viagras effect.
• Mental state Bad emotional feelings, such as being nervous, or depressed, or anxious, influence how the body responds to sexual stimulation. If you have any negative feelings inside, do not be surprised if Viagra may not fully work in your case .

Can Acid Reflux Cause Sinus And Ear Problems

Chronic acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease can produce symptoms beyond the usual heartburn and sore throat. GERD manifests itself in different ways, with some patients experiencing less common but still normal signs of the condition.

Can acid reflux lead to ear and sinus complications? Yes, it can. Although the reason for this is still indefinite, acid reflux can lead to ear and sinus infections for some patients.

On the other hand, patients experiencing postnasal drip, sore throat, and a swollen larynx may have laryngopharyngeal reflux or LPR, a similar stomach condition that is sometimes mistaken for GERD.

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Lpr / Silent Reflux Sadness Do You Have Blocked Ears

Elle1234

Hello everyone,

I have had LPR for two years without much success with PPIs. I do not get the burning but i do get a constant mucus feeling in my throat, some coughing, tightness in back of chest and above all the feeling that my ears are blocked all the time and post-nasal drip. All i want to do is sleep now because it is making me very sad and lonely.

When will this all end?

4 likes, 58 replies

Acid Reflux Hearing Loss

• #3

• #9

my ears constantly ring. i dont know if its anxiety, hearing loss, or acid reflux. i read that acid reflux can cause deafness. but when i try to google how common that is, no answer comes up.does anyone have real life knowledge of this?thanks

• #11

my ears constantly ring. i dont know if its anxiety, hearing loss, or acid reflux. i read that acid reflux can cause deafness. but when i try to google how common that is, no answer comes up.does anyone have real life knowledge of this?thanks

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What Issues Can Gerd Cause

But how is GERD connected to ENT issues? Its simple: although the stomach can handle its own acidic content, the esophagus cannot. Over time, reflux of stomach juices into the esophagus can cause other problems, such as inflammation and esophagitis. Over prolonged ;periods, if left untreated, it can even lead to esophageal cancer.

Common ENT symptoms that may indicate GERD include:

• Voice hoarseness that starts in the morning and improves throughout the day
• Lump in the throat due to inflammation. This lump can be a constant sensation, or it may be worse in the morning or after eating. It may also be felt only when swallowing.
• Frequent throat clearing
• Spasms of the vocal cords, causing acute shortness of breath
• Severe nasal drip or drainage

Further Silent Reflux Symptoms

You see, LPR can cause a lot of different problems.

The more of the symptoms listed above that you have over a long time, the higher the chances are that silent reflux is the reason.

The symptoms that I showed you are only the ones most;commonly;associated with reflux.

Whatever other symptoms you have, if it can be caused by inflammation in the airways, then it can be a silent reflux symptom.

It is important to understand that Silent Reflux is caused by a combination of acid and the stomach enzyme pepsin. This is why it is unlikely that blocking the acid alone is going to help you.

P.S.: The symptoms are the most important factor for diagnosing silent reflux.

Researchers have developed a questionnaire as a test for the disease. Click on the image below and do the test online now. It will tell you how likely it is that you have LPR.

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Sitting Among Factors That Can Spur Acid Reflux

Dear Dr. Roach: My father suffers from GERD and takes medication for it. After returning from a recent holiday, I asked him about his symptoms. He replied that he was not bothered by heartburn for the 10 days that he was away.

My father takes all his meals sitting on the couch, eating off of a low coffee table. To me it almost looks like he’s doing sit-ups while seated, but this must contribute to stomach acid pushing up. During the 10 days that he was away, he was sitting at a proper-height table when eating all his meals.

What are your thoughts? A.C.

Dr. Roach: I agree with you that his eating position may contribute to mechanical acid reflux: The increased pressure from his bent-over position may be forcing acid up into his esophagus.

However, being on holiday may lead to other reasons he was not bothered. Maybe he was avoiding foods that cause symptoms. Maybe he was feeling less stressed. It’s possible he ate earlier and went to bed a longer time after eating, which allows the stomach to empty so there is less acid at night, when more damage to the esophagus can occur due to the loss of gravity and swallowing.

Sometimes several lifestyle choices are needed to address GERD. I always prefer to work on those before prescribing medication treatments, especially because the proton pump inhibitors like omeprazole have long-term side effects that are best avoided, if possible.

Dr. Roach: I have received more letters about hearing loss than I would have believed possible.

Chronic Sinusitis In Gerd Patients

A group of Taiwanese doctors tried to understand the relationship between GERD and chronic rhinosinusitis. Chronic rhinosinusitis is caused by inflammation in the sinus. This interferes with a patients ability to breathe and perceive smell and even taste.;

Other symptoms of chronic sinusitis include:

• Chronic congestion
• Postnasal drainage, or feeling mucus on the back of the throat
• Thick discharge from nose
• Tenderness around eyes, nose, cheeks
• Ear pain

Although the direct cause of CRS remains unclear, doctors noticed that patients with GERD also tend to develop CRS. After observing the patients for around 2 years, scientists found that patients with GERD were at a higher risk of developing CRS than healthy patients. This same group was also more likely to develop a form of CRS that occurs without nasal polyps.;

Possible reasons for the increased risk include:

• Prolonged exposure to stomach contents in the esophagus may have reached the nasopharynx, which directly connects to the nasal cavity
• Constant exposure to reflux material could contribute to the development of CRS
• The acid, pepsin, trypsin, and bile being regurgitated can damage parts of the sinus that lead to sinus dysfunction and create an environment for invasive bacteria to grow

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How Virginia Ent Can Help

In many cases, patients come to us fearing the worst. If theyre experiencing reflux symptoms or throat problems they cant explain, they may be worried about cancer or other serious conditions. Our first steps during examination are to rule that out, and then to help the patients symptoms improve.

If a patient comes to Virginia ENT with a throat problem that cant be seen with a simple light in the throat, we will begin by using a topical anesthetic in the nose and then passing a fiber-optic endoscope through the nose. This allows us to look at the tissues deep in the throat for classic signs of reflux inflammation.

What Is Silent Reflux

Laryngopharyngeal reflux , also known as silent reflux, is the reflux of stomach contents into the larynx and pharynx . Stomach acid can not only reflux beyond the esophagus into the throat and voice box but also into the lungs, mouth, sinuses, ears and nose.1

Many people experiencing silent reflux do not experience heartburn symptoms found in GERD because refluxed acid does not remain in the esophagus long enough to cause heartburn irritation. Silent reflux is different from GERD as it primarily affects a different area of the body.

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How Menieres Disease Affects Hearing

A quick review of your ear anatomy would reveal the two critical functions of your earshearing sounds and detecting changes in your bodys motion or your heads orientation.;

Unfortunately, when you have Menieres disease, you become at risk of losing both ear functions. Thats because the abnormal buildup of water inside the inner ears impacts your vestibulocochlear nerve. This specific nerve bundle sends information about what you hear or how your body moves to the central nervous system. The longer it takes to resolve the fluid buildup, the more damage it can inflict on your nerves.

What Role Does An Ear Nose And Throat Specialist Have In Treating Gerd And Lpr

A gastroenterologist, a specialist in treating gastrointestinal orders, will often provide initial treatment for GERD. But there are ear, nose, and throat problems that are caused by reflux reaching beyond the esophagus, such as hoarseness, laryngeal nodules in singers, croup, airway stenosis , swallowing difficulties, throat pain, and sinus infections. These problems require an otolaryngologisthead and neck surgeon, or a specialist who has extensive experience with the tools that diagnose GERD and LPR. They treat many of the complications of GERD and LPR, including: sinus and ear infections, throat and laryngeal inflammation and lesions, as well as a change in the esophageal lining called Barretts esophagus, a serious complication that can lead to cancer.

Your primary care physician or pediatrician will often refer a case of LPR to an otolaryngologisthead and neck surgeon for evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment.

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Evaluating Ed For Possible Viagra Medication

The medical evaluation is simple. Analysis of the patients medical history, including a review of his health habits and medications, is the initial step.

Next would be an evaluation of risk factors heart, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and diabetes. The testosterone blood levels may also be checked.

Elaborate laboratory tests can be done, but, in many cases, they are hardly necessary. Instead, testing of oral medications Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra on the patient will be the next step.

The success rate is fairly high. Seventy percent of men respond well to these three drugs, with rates lower among men with diabetes who also underwent prostate cancer. A few men abandon using the pills due to their side effects.

What Are The Complications Of Lpr

In infants and children, chronic exposure of the laryngeal structures to acidic contents may cause long term airway problems such as a narrowing of the area below the vocal cords , hoarseness, and possibly eustachian tube dysfunction causing recurrent ear infections, or persistent middle ear fluid, and even symptoms of sinusitis. The direct relationship between LPR and the latter mentioned problems are currently under research investigation.

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Chronic Cough And Throat Clearing

In the same way that silent reflux can cause asthma, it can also make you cough. This stems from damages in your lungs.

Also, LPR hits the mucous membrane in your airways. This irritation can cause a cough and throat clearing as well.

It is very hard for a doctor to tell if a chronic cough is caused by reflux. There are simply so many diseases that can cause a cough. This is why silent refluxers with a chronic cough are usually not getting the correct diagnosis easily.

Dietary Factors And Foods To Avoid

Dietary factors often contribute to acid reflux. Certain foods are acids or irritants themselves; others will bring out stomach acid in large amounts. Both should be avoided.;

The following list of foods is especially known to be troublesome:;

• Coffee, tea, chocolate, carbonated beverages, alcoholic beverages, citrus beverages or highly spiced foods
• Hard candies, gum, breath fresheners, throat lozenges, cough drops, mouthwashes, gargles, etc., may actually irritate the throat directly and will also stimulate the stomach to pour out acid.;

Being overweight also contributes to acid reflux; if you are overweight, it would help to lose weight. Large meals at one time are troublesome, and so three or four equal, small feedings are preferable to one or two large meals. One should not eat for 2 or 3 hours before bedtime; it is advisable not to lie down right after eating.

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Ear And Sinus Problems: Common Or Worrisome

GERD is one of the most common gastrointestinal conditions in the U.S. but its symptoms arent always straightforward. More and more physicians are accepting its association with ENT conditions.

Although its difficult to explain how GERD mechanisms affect the ear and sinus, doctors suggest that damages caused by GERD can change how the ear and nose behave.

What Is Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea isnt just a lack of sleep or poor sleep. Its much more complicated than that. Obstructive sleep apnea happens when a persons airway closes up and stop breathing for 10 seconds, several times an hour during sleep. This occurrence prevents deep sleep, leading to a wide variety of health problems. Sleep apnea can lead to health issues such as stroke, diabetes, and heart attack.;

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What Are Symptoms Of Lpr

There are various symptoms of LPR. Adults may be able to identify LPR as a bitter taste in the back of the throat, more commonly in the morning upon awakening, and the sensation of a lump or something stuck in the throat, which does not go away despite multiple swallowing attempts to clear the lump. Some adults may also experience a burning sensation in the throat. A more uncommon symptom is difficulty breathing, which occurs because the acidic, refluxed material comes in contact with the voice box and causes the vocal cords to close to prevent aspiration of the material into the windpipe . This event is known as laryngospasm.

Infants and children are unable to describe sensations like adults can. Therefore, LPR is only successfully diagnosed if parents are suspicious and the child undergoes a full evaluation by a specialist such as an otolaryngologist. Airway or breathing-related problems are the most commonly seen symptoms of LPR in infants and children and can be serious. If your infant or child experiences any of the following symptoms, timely evaluation is critical.

• Chronic cough
• Pauses in breathing
• Apparent life threatening event
• Failure to thrive