Hyperacusis

Abnormally increased auditory sensitivity characterized by reduced tolerance to sounds of moderate intensity, which are perceived as excessively loud, uncomfortable, or painful despite normal peripheral hearing thresholds.

Causes

• Acoustic trauma (explosion, gunfire, loud music)

• Chronic noise exposure

• Otologic causes

  • Tinnitus

  • Ménière's disease

  • Inner ear disorders

  • Postoperative complications following ear surgery

• Neurological causes

  • Traumatic brain injury

  • Bell's palsy

  • Lyme disease

  • Other neurological disorders affecting the auditory pathways or facial nerve

• Genetic disease: Williams syndrome

• Medications: Furosemide

• Other causes

  • Migraine

  • Idiopathic hyperacusis