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What Does An EKG Showing Irregularity Indicate?
Question: my stepdaughter has had a headache for several days. Today she woke up very dizzy but went in to work. she had to leave because she could not hear, her lips were numb and her arms were numb. she went to a clinic where they ran bloodtests and did an ekg. the ekg showed irregularity. they sent her to a nearby hospital to get additional tests. what could this be? the symptoms seem so odd--especially the numb lips and hearing loss.
Brief Answer:
Lack of blood flow to posterior brain areas may be the case.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
The irregularities on the EKG means that she might have arrhythmia, abnormal heart rhythm. In a young individual it is uncommon so a source must be found. Whether that justifies directly the hearing loss and the tingling, no it doesn't. Arrhythmia though is a major risk factor for stroke. Those symptoms can be in the setting of a stroke in the posterior areas of the brain, where the signals coming from the hearing organs end. So a stroke or at least a transitorily low blood flow in those areas can present with hearing loss and involvement of adjacent nerve fibers may cause the tingling.
I must say though that it is rare to have only these symptoms, I personally can recall of only one other case having a stroke with isolated hearing loss. Usually because it is an area with a great density of nerve fibers there are other signs. However the neurological exam at the hospital may evidence other subtle signs which were missed. In that case a brain MRI will be needed. So it is good that she was sent to the hospital for evaluation.
If on the other hand everything there turns out normal, with no additional signs, then it may be considered the far more benign possibility of the symptoms being related to anxiety. Hopefully that is the case.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Lack of blood flow to posterior brain areas may be the case.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
The irregularities on the EKG means that she might have arrhythmia, abnormal heart rhythm. In a young individual it is uncommon so a source must be found. Whether that justifies directly the hearing loss and the tingling, no it doesn't. Arrhythmia though is a major risk factor for stroke. Those symptoms can be in the setting of a stroke in the posterior areas of the brain, where the signals coming from the hearing organs end. So a stroke or at least a transitorily low blood flow in those areas can present with hearing loss and involvement of adjacent nerve fibers may cause the tingling.
I must say though that it is rare to have only these symptoms, I personally can recall of only one other case having a stroke with isolated hearing loss. Usually because it is an area with a great density of nerve fibers there are other signs. However the neurological exam at the hospital may evidence other subtle signs which were missed. In that case a brain MRI will be needed. So it is good that she was sent to the hospital for evaluation.
If on the other hand everything there turns out normal, with no additional signs, then it may be considered the far more benign possibility of the symptoms being related to anxiety. Hopefully that is the case.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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