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Review
. 2022 Oct 13;9(2):107-114.
doi: 10.1002/wjo2.81. eCollection 2023 Jun.

A proposed association between subjective nonpulsatile tinnitus and migraine

Ariel Lee  1 , Mehdi Abouzari  1 , Meleeka Akbarpour  1 , Adwight Risbud  1 , Harrison W Lin  1 , Hamid R Djalilian  1   2
Affiliations
Review

A proposed association between subjective nonpulsatile tinnitus and migraine

Ariel Lee et al. World J Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Surg. .

Abstract

Objective: Tinnitus is defined as the perception of sound in the absence of an external source. We propose the hypothesis that migraine can cause exacerbation of tinnitus in some patients.

Methods: English literature from PubMed has been reviewed.

Results: Studies have reported a high prevalence of cochlear symptoms in patients with migraine headaches and up to 45% of tinnitus patients have been shown to concomitantly suffer from migraine. Both conditions are thought to stem from central nervous system disturbances, involving disruption of the auditory and trigeminal nerve pathways. One proposed mechanism of this association is the modulation of sound sensitivity by trigeminal nerve activation of the auditory cortex during migraine attacks, resulting in tinnitus fluctuation in some patients. Increased brain and inner ear vascular permeability resulting from trigeminal nerve inflammation, can also cause observed headache and auditory symptoms. Tinnitus and migraine also share a number of symptom triggers including stress, sleep disturbances, and dietary factors. These shared features may help explain promising results of migraine therapies for the treatment of tinnitus.

Conclusion: Given the complex association between tinnitus and migraine, further investigation is needed to identify the underlying mechanisms and determine the optimal treatment strategies for managing migraine-related tinnitus patients.

Keywords: association; cochleovestibular migraine; migraine; otologic migraine; tinnitus.

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Conflict of interest statement

Hamid R. Djalilian holds equity in MindSet Technologies, Elinava Technologies, and Cactus Medical LLC. He is a consultant to NXT Biomedical.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representation of the possible central nervous system pathways involved in tinnitus
Figure 2
Figure 2
Representation of the migraine mechanisms leading to increased tinnitus perception
Figure 3
Figure 3
Proposed algorithm for step‐wise tinnitus treatment regimen with migraine medications. BID, twice daily; CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy; CGRP, calcitonin‐gene related peptide.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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