Dehydration — Excercise induced Tinnitus/Cochlear Hydrops?

Dr. Nagler -

Thank you for your dedication to this forum, you have been a wealth of information. I have recently been diagnosed with Cochlear Hydrops (Meneiere's Disease w/o the vertigo).

To help with the severe tinnitus I am 2 months in to TRT and finally in a stable state and accepting of my condition. Prior to my diagnosis I had been an long distance endurance athlete and came across a few articles detailing the correlation between dehyrdation and its effect on the auditory system. I am questioning myself as to whether my condition may have been caused from dehydration. I'd like to get back endurance training, however am concerned that I may be exacerbating the condition. Do you have a perspective on excercise induced Tinnitus due to dehydration? (Or am I overthinking this as I typically do).

Thank you.

 

Hi @dhenry89 -

Cochlear hydrops is a difficult diagnosis to make. The hallmarks are low-pitched tinnitus, fluctuating hearing loss, and fullness in the ears - but the symptoms can vary. The episodic vertigo of Meniere's is not present in cochlear hydrops.

Treatment of cochlear hydrops can include salt restriction, vasodilators, and diuretics (depending on severity of symptoms), but the net effect of any or all of the above is to induce mild dehydration with an eye towards reducing pressure within the cochlea as a result. So the mild dehydration one gets from endurance training should, if anything, act in your favor ... assuming, of course, that you have been correctly diagnosed in the first place.

The issue of exercise-induced tinnitus exacerbation is totally separate. Any exacerbation of tinnitus due to exercise is temporary. And as I see it the cardiovascular benefit of an exercise regimen far outweighs the unpleasantness of a temporary increase in tinnitus loudness.

Dr. Stephen Nagler