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Tinnitus: Symptoms
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Since tinnitus is a symptom of a problem, the first thing you should do is to try to find out the underlying cause. You should have a medical examination with special attention given to checking factors associated with tinnitus such as blood pressure, kidney function, medications/drug intake, diet and allergies, emotional stress, noise exposure, and diseases involving the auditory system. Tinnitus can be associated with conditions that occur at all levels of the auditory system. Some of these conditions are impacted wax (external ear); ear infection, middle ear tumors, otosclerosis, vascular problems (middle ear); Menieres disease, ototoxic medications, circulation disorders, noise-induced hearing loss (inner ear); and, at the central level, 8 th nerve and other tumors, migraine, and epilepsy.
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A thorough ear examination and complete medical history by a physician who specializes in diseases of the ears, nose and throat is the first step for anyone who experiences symptoms of tinnitus. If the examination rules out active disease and no correctable cause if found, several methods are available to help lessen the effects of this distressing symptom.
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The most common cause of tinnitus is hearing loss that occurs with aging (presbycusis), but it can ... be caused by living or working around loud noises (acoustic trauma). Tinnitus can occur with all types of hearing loss and may be a symptom of almost any ear disorder. Other possible causes of tinnitus include:
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There are many hypotheses explaining the actual physiological mechanism of subjective tinnitus, but none proven. The most commonly accepted hypothesis is that the tiny hearing receptors (hair cells) in the inner ear spontaneously "fire" and send signals to the brain which are interpreted as a ringing sound. Because there is no proven mechanism, tinnitus is often the most frustrating symptom for the patient and the most difficult or stubborn symptom for the physician to treat.
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The mechanism by which tinnitus occurs is not clear to many professionals... the current medical theory is that the majority of cases of tinnitus have no detectable acoustic basis! Tinnitus can be a symptom of some ear disease such as otitis externa, chronic otitis media, otosclerosis, or Meniere's disease.
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There are many causes for "subjective tinnitus," the noise only you can hear. Some causes are not serious (a small plug of wax in the ear canal might cause temporary tinnitus). Tinnitus can ... be a symptom of stiffening of the middle ear bones (otosclerosis).
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