Pulsatile Tinnitus: Rare or Medium Rare?According to the American Tinnitus Association, tinnitus affects over 50 million Americans and over 250 million people
worldwide.
But when you talk about pulsatile tinnitus, the numbers get much smaller.
Some groups estimate that only 3% of all tinnitus sufferers have pulsatile tinnitus. That means in a room full of 100
tinnitus sufferers, only 3 will have pulsatile tinnitus. Of the three, how many hear the whooshing sound vs another pulsing
sound? Who knows. As an individual with pulsatile tinnitus, I’ll acknowledge that it is rare (and maybe
I should buy a lottery ticket). I’ll even concede that, since there are so many more individuals with non-pulsatile
tinnitus, it’s understandable why those of us with pulsatile tinnitus may not get that much attention.
Wait a second.
250 million tinnitus sufferers x 3% = 7,500,000 pulsatile tinnitus sufferers worldwide!
That’s right, 7,500,000 of us. I don’t know about you, but when I was diagnosed, I sure didn’t feel
like one of 7,500,000. The lack of available information and support for pulsatile tinnitus sufferers caused me a lot
of stress and anxiety; for a while I felt a bit like I was the only one in the universe with pulsatile tinnitus.
If it weren’t for the Internet, I’d be the only pulsatile tinnitus sufferer I know. But since the
launch of this site in July 2009, over 3,450 of you (unique vistors, for the techie geeks) from all over the world have visited
Whooshers.com and viewed over 10,100 pages! This may not really seem like a lot, especially compared to the big
numbers above, but when the site was launched I never imagined this many whooshers would find it. The numbers are growing
each day. I’m sure some of you are family members, friends, and doctors of pulsatile tinnitus patients.
Others of you are just bored at work, and a few of you found yourself here, immediately realized you’d made a typo in
your search engine or something, and are off reading another Web site. But my hunch is most of you
are individuals with pulsatile tinnitus. Even if only half of the 3,450 Whooshers.com visitors are
pulsatile tinnitus sufferers, I’d say we have a large enough group to make sure that pulsatile tinnitus gets more attention
in medical offices, research labs and support groups in the days and years to come.
What do you say?
Pulsatile Tinnitus & ChildrenSeveral people have written in with questions about how children with pulsatile tinnitus are affected, including how they
may report the symptoms and what behaviors may help indicate that a child is experiencing tinnitus. Also, some of you
have pointed out that you developed tinnitus at such a young age and experienced the symptoms for so long, you didn't realize
it was out of the ordinary until years later. Children with pulsatile tinnitus (and many other health conditions)
often have difficulty describing their symptoms and expressing the way they feel. After all, this is a challenge even
for adult pulsatile tinnitus sufferers. There doesn't seem to be much (if any) information specifically
focused on how to identify the youngest pulsatile tinnitus sufferers, however this page of questions and answers from The Oregon Tinnitus & Hyperacusis Treatment Clinic addresses tinnitus generally and includes some helpful tips that may help parents identify clues.
Poll Results: I Have Experienced _____ Depression In Association With My Pulsatile Tinnitus48% Major 36% Minor 16% No 25 Votes Thanks
for your vote! Please participate in the latest Whooshers.com poll.
Lady Gaga Heartbeats In-Ear HeadphonesOn a lighter note, I did a double-take when I saw an ad for the new and (apparently) trendy Lady Gaga's Heartbeats In-Ear Headphones "...holistically designed to deliver the soundtrack of your life." Oh, Ms. Gaga, if you only knew.
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