“What could be wrong with my ears?”
I'm 16 and have had ear crackling when swallowing for around 4 months. I went to a ENT and their physicians assistant said that it was Meniere's Disease. I don't get any common symptoms of Meniere's like vertigo, dizziness, or balance issues. My ENT says I have low tone hearing issues, but to be honest I could hear the low tones when they played them but didn't say anything because I second guessed myself, and I hear down to 25hz with my own equipment. I did use to have ear infections a lot as a toddler, which could both indicate that its a different issue than Meniere's, and also explain a possibility of any hearing loss.
Male | 16 years old
4 Answers
Ear-NoseandThroatDoctor(ENT)
I don't think you got correct answer to your symptoms. Need to see an ENT . It sure doesn't seem like Meniere's. See an ENT and get another audiogram if needed
Meniere's disease does seem unlikely based on what you've said here. Ear crackling when swallowing is typically a symptom of eustachian tube dysfunction. Eustachian tube dysfunction can also be associated with frequent ear infections.
Crackling in the ears does not suggest Meniere's. The crackling is from the Eustachian tube which connects the throat with the ear. Swelling within the tube allows fluid in the middle ear space to and is the cause of the crackling and discomfort. Try holding your nose and blowing to make your ear pop. I would also suggest an antihistamine to help resolve the swelling in the eustachian tube.Hope this is of some help. Without an exam this is the best I can do. Do get a hearing test and be aware of a high frequency hearing loss this would be most common in your age group and is related to noise exposure {loud music, ear buds}I
It is normal for you to hear a brief sound when you swallow, which is often described as "crackling." The eustachian tubes connect your middle ears with the back of the nose, where it joins the throat (also called the nasopharynx). These tubes are closed all of the time, except that when you swallow, they open for a fraction of a second to equalize the pressure in the middle ear with the pressure in the outside world. There are tiny muscles that go from the eustachian tube wall to the soft palate, and they "tug" on the tube when your soft palate contracts during swallowing. This equalization of pressures keeps the eardrums in the normal position for optimal hearing. In other words, the sound you hear is physiologic, just part of the way things work. You may not have noticed it before, or if you have a cold or allergies, it may be temporarily accentuated. As for Meniere's disease, you don't have it. The 3 requirements for a diagnosis of Meniere's are fluctuating hearing loss (both episodic and eventually chronic), tinnitus, and vertigo. You don't have any of these, so you don't have Meniere's. Bottom line: nothing to be concerned about.
