@dr.zac.spiritos: One of the things I’ve learned to pick up on in clinic when working with patients with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is when someone mentions being able to hear their own heartbeat in their head or ears. This is called pulsatile tinnitus, and people often describe it as a rhythmic whooshing or thumping sound that follows their heartbeat. There are lots of reasons this can happen, but it’s a symptom that catches my attention, particularly when it occurs alongside other symptoms. In some cases, pulsatile tinnitus can be associated with increased pressure inside the head, known as intracranial hypertension, or compression of one of the veins that drains blood from the brain. That compression can occasionally come from an elongated styloid process, a small bone near the base of the skull, or a calcified stylohyoid ligament, a ligament in the neck that has hardened over time. When someone describes this alongside headaches, pressure behind the eyes, or clear fluid draining from the nose or ears, it makes me think a little more about conditions involving pressure changes in the head, venous compression, or occasionally a cerebrospinal fluid leak. None of these symptoms, individually or together, are diagnostic of these conditions. There are plenty of other explanations, too. But it’s one of those clinical clues that can sometimes help connect the dots when we’re trying to understand a bigger picture. For educational purposes only. Not medical advice. #mcas #heds #hypermobility #dysautonomia #pots

Dr. Zac Spiritos

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Region: US

Monday 09 November 2026 23:36:31 GMT