Constant “ringing” in the ears called an early sign of brain disease

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Parkinson's disease is a progressive condition in which signals transmitted between the brain and the nervous system are disrupted. As a result, a number of disorders arise, most of which are related to the motor process. At first, the symptoms are subtle, but as the disease progresses, they become quite pronounced.

According to the study, one of the earliest signs may be persistent ringing in the ears. This condition is known as tinnitus.

“Tinnitus is considered a ‘soft’ sign of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by progressive loss of neuronal function, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD),” the researchers said.

“The main findings of our study are that the risks of developing Parkinson’s disease increased after patients were first diagnosed with tinnitus,” they added.

The study analyzed health data from 12,657 patients with tinnitus and 25,314 controls. Over a 10-year follow-up period, 398 people with tinnitus (3.1%) and 501 people without tinnitus (2%) developed Alzheimer’s disease. An additional 211 tinnitus patients (1.7%) and 249 control patients (1%) developed Parkinson's disease.

In addition, several other potential independent risk factors for these two diseases were identified. In particular, diabetes and head trauma were associated with Alzheimer's disease, while cerebrovascular disease and osteoarthritis were associated with Parkinson's disease.