Acoustic Neuroma Symptoms

Acoustic Neuroma: Introduction

Acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma) is a benign tumor growth occurring in nerve cells connecting your inner ear to the brain. The tumor develops gradually and can take years before making any negative impact on body balance and audio system.

What are Acoustic Neuroma Symptoms?

In majority of the cases (in the initial stage) signs of acoustic neuroma seldom display. The symptoms may also be of such mild nature and shallow that they are most likely to be overlooked. But with the slow progression of the condition over a length of time, symptoms of acoustic neuroma start to appear.

Some of the acoustic neuroma signs and symptoms:

• Initially, the patient finds it difficult to understand speech (especially electronic device sounds such as conversation on a phone). Such hearing loss is characteristic, as it occurs in a single ear (not in both).
• Research has revealed a strong link between acoustic neuroma and hearing loss and is among one of the first noticeable signs.
• You can describe this as a hearing that consists of different sounds similar to a sound of ringing or hissing occurring inside your head (when, in fact, there is no sound).
• It can be a constant sound and it may recur at different time intervals. The volume often varies in intensity.
• Another, among early signs for this condition is experiencing loss of body balance. At the onset, this symptom may be overlooked as it is mild, but with an increase in the tumor’s size, you lose your balance often with a worrying frequency. In addition, you may suffer from signs of vertigo.
• Experts have found a strong link between acoustic neuroma and headaches as the pressure is caused by the tumor inside your skull, making your head feel heavy. This heaviness can extend to your neck.
• The headache affects one side of your head (but may radiate to the other side) and is felt more during the morning and night time. The headache may become intense when you stand up, lie down, cough or sneeze.
• There may be vision problems attributed to acoustic neuroma in some cases. This can cause occasional blurring of vision, or even double vision.

In rare cases, the tumor may affect functioning of facial muscles that can involve numbness, pain or twitches. A timely diagnosis of this condition is extremely important. If acoustic neuroma symptoms are left ignored, the disease can become life threatening.