A rhythmic thumping in your ears could be pulsatile tinnitus (Image: Getty)
A doctor has warned that a rhythmic thudding noise in your ear might be a sign of a life-threatening emergency.
(PT) is a repetitive sound you hear in your head or ears which is normally at the same rate as your heartbeat.
It is usually the result of a change in blood flow or of that flow in vessels near the ear.
But Dr Ahmed Abd Elbary told his 326,000 followers on that if you have a repetitive sound in your ear then you should raise it with your GP, but “most of the time” it is “completely benign”.
He said that at that stage a doctor will usually do an initial physical examination which would include listening to your heartbeat and to the blood vessels in your neck.
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Is hearing a pulse inside your ear anything to worry about? Educational purposes only
Your doctor might also refer you for a hearing test, according to Dr Abd Elbary, with most people requiring further investigations, such as blood tests as low vitamin B12 or low iron can be a cause.
The doctor said imaging might also be needed, including MRI scans, a CT scan or an ultrasound scan.
Dr Abd Elbary said PT can happen if there’s an increase in blood flow, which can be caused by severe exercise, pregnancy, an overactive thyroid or anemia.
However, he also cited deadly aneurysms and tumours as two potential causes.
He added: “Sometimes the blood flow can become more turbulent. The most common causes for this are things like aneurysms and atherosclerosis – narrowing of the arteries.
“You can also get localised increased blood flow, which means a particular blood vessel has increased blood supply to it. This most often is down to a tumour. It’s important to know most tumours associated with pulsatile tinnitus are benign.”
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A CT scan or MRI might be required (Image: Getty)
Dr Abd Elbary said PT generally goes once the cause is addressed.
An aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel resulting from a weakness in the blood vessel wall, according to the .
As blood passes along the weakened blood vessel the pressure leads to a small section to bulge like a balloon.
They can develop in any part of the body, but the two most common places are in the brain and the artery which takes blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
NHS guidance says that most brain aneurysms only lead to noticeable symptoms if they burst, which results in the “extremely serious” condition subarachnoid haemorrhage, where bleeding can cause brain damage.
A ruptured brain aneurysm is described by the service as a medical emergency, with symptoms of a burst including a sudden, agonising headache, a stiff neck, pain looking at light, sickness and vomiting.
An estimated 15,000 people suffer a ruptured brain aneurysm in England annually, according to MailOnline.
Dr Abd Elbary said a common reason for PT is altered awareness, which he said means the blood flow hasn’t changed, you are just more aware of it, with the most common reason for this due to hearing loss.
He said: “That’s because you become less aware of your surroundings and the pulse starting it has become more obvious to you.
“Despite all of that there’s still lots more causes for it as well… Most of the time it’s completely benign and nothing to worry about, but it’s definitely something you want to get checked out, especially if it’s something new or you’ve never got checked out before or is getting worse.”