What is tinnitus?
In tinnitus, sound is perceived without any external source, so other people cannot hear it.
There are several types of tinnitus, including ringing, buzzing, and roaring, among others. It is estimated that 10 to 25% of adults have tinnitus. Tinnitus can also affect children. Over time, tinnitus can improve or even disappear for children and adults, but it can also worsen in some cases. Chronic tinnitus lasts for more than three months.
It is unclear what causes tinnitus, but most people who suffer from it suffer from hearing loss to some degree. Tinnitus is rarely associated with serious medical problems and is usually not severe enough to interfere with daily life. Some people, however, report that it affects mood, sleep, and concentration. Tinnitus can cause anxiety and depression when severe.
Tinnitus cannot be cured, but it can be reduced with sound therapy devices (including hearing aids), behavioral therapies, and medication.
What are the symptoms of tinnitus?
Tinnitus symptoms can differ between individuals. You may perceive noises in one, two or all sections of your head; this could be a ringing, buzzing, humming, hissing or a squeal. It may be quiet or loud and low or high-pitched. The sound might come and go or stay constant; certain body movements such as neck turning, eye movement or simply touching a certain area can cause altered perception of the sound – somatosensory tinnitus.
The sounds of tinnitus are usually subjective, meaning only you can hear them. Often, the sound pulses rhythmically, often in time with your heartbeat, so it can be considered objective tinnitus if a doctor can hear the sounds with a stethoscope. The cause of objective tinnitus is known and can be treated.
What causes tinnitus?
Tinnitus is not fully understood, but the following factors have been linked to it:
- The most common cause of tinnitus is exposure to loud noise at work, during sports events, or at concerts. As a result of loud noises they may have experienced from gunfire, machinery, bomb blasts, or other similar sources, veterans often suffer from tinnitus as a service-related disability.
- Tinnitus is strongly associated with hearing loss and factors like aging and loud noise. However, some people with hearing loss do not develop tinnitus.
- Certain medications, especially those taken in high doses, can cause tinnitus as a side effect. There are many medications associated with tinnitus, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (for example, ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin), certain antibiotics, anticancer medications, antimalaria medications, and antidepressants.
- The ear canal can be blocked by earwax or an ear infection causing tinnitus.
- A head or neck injury can damage structures of the ear, the nerves that carry sound signals to the brain, or the areas of the brain that process sound, causing tinnitus.
There are a few less common risk factors for tinnitus, including:
- Tinnitus is a symptom of Ménière’s disease, an inner ear disorder that can also cause balance problems and hearing loss.
- A clenched jaw or grinding teeth can damage the surrounding tissues, causing tinnitus.
- Vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma) is a benign tumor on a nerve connecting the inner ear to the brain that can cause tinnitus.
- High blood pressure, atherosclerosis, or malformations of blood vessels can affect blood flow and cause tinnitus.
- There is a link between tinnitus and diabetes, migraines, thyroid disorders, anemia, and autoimmune disorders such as lupus and multiple sclerosis.
- Some people develop tinnitus for no apparent reason, but others have a variety of possible causes.
What is the ear’s perception of noise?
Among the leading theories of tinnitus is that damaged nerves in the inner ear cause tinnitus by signaling to parts of the brain that process sound. Despite the fact that tinnitus appears to occur in the ear, the phantom sounds are actually produced by the auditory cortex in your brain.
In several studies, tinnitus has been linked to abnormal interactions between the auditory cortex and other neural circuits. Since the auditory cortex communicates with other parts of the brain, including those that control attention and emotions, some people with tinnitus have changes in these non-auditory brain regions.
Diagnosis
We would be happy to see you in our office for initial analysis and treatment of hearing loss. Many times, we have technology or treatment methods available that can help.
In some cases, you might be referred to an otolaryngologist (also called an ENT or an ear, nose, and throat doctor). A ENT will examine your head, neck, and ears, ask you about the tinnitus sounds and when they started, as well as refer you to an audiologist who can assess your hearing and tinnitus.
The ENT may order imaging tests like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound if your tinnitus pulses. Your tinnitus may be caused by a structural or underlying medical condition, which can be revealed by imaging tests.
Talk to us if you feel tinnitus relief could be beneficial to you at your initial consultation. Many modern hearing aids have built-in sound therapy and tinnitus masking functions.