What Is Tinnitus?

An annoying ringing or buzzing sound in the ear is known as Tinnitus. This can occur without warning and for no particular reason. This irritating problem can be constant, intermittent or pulsating and can be the result of a more serious underlying condition such as an infection. While this is most commonly found to be a chronic disorder, it can be managed with proper treatments and methods.

Tinnitus comes from the Latin word tinnitus which means ringing. It has been a peculiar problem for thousands of years with many varieties of treatments resulting from its existence. This condition can either be unilateral meaning one ear or bilateral meaning both ears.

There are two distinct types of Tinnitus. The first, Subjective Tinnitus refers to a noise only the affected person can hear while Objective Tinnitus can be heard by a professional health care provider. Each type carries its own cause. Objective Tinnitus is generally treatable; however subjective Tinnitus is more difficult as only the person affected can hear it.

Tinnitus is caused by:

Obstruction due to fluid or wax buildup Ear infections Damage to the eardrum or the little bones in the middle ear Aspirin overdose Meniere’s disease Brain tumor Aneurysm Traumatic head injury, such as a severe blow to the head.

Tinnitus is diagnosed by your health care professional who will get your medical history, perform a physical examination, and conduct special hearing tests such as an audiogram.

Other important tests:

Auditory brain stem response (ABR), tests the hearing nerves and brain pathways CT scan MRI scan to rule out a tumor

Treatment:

There is no specific treatment for tinnitus. You may have it for life or it could leave on its own, but you can introduce other noises into your environment that will allow you to not focus on the ringing in your ears.

Prevention:

If you suffer from a chronic disease such as hypertension, it is very important that you keep your blood pressure within the normal limits as well as stay away from stress and take your prescribed medications exactly as directed. One medication used in fighting this disease is aspirin, if not taken at the proper dosage, it can result in Tinnitus.

Another tool you can use is your ability to focus on something else. By transferring your concentration onto something else, the noise will become less. Other noises such as those from a fan or anything that create another sound in the room. This distracting noise is referred to as “white noise” and can be very effective in reducing the annoyance of Tinnitus.

Consult your health care provider if you believe you suffer from Tinnitus. And remember, adding a little white noise can be a beautiful way to combat the buzzing, ringing blues.

Barb Hicks is an established writer and registered nurse who loves to share her knowledge about Hearing Loss Symptoms with others. She has more articles including Conductive Hearing Loss Symptoms on Clivir.com.

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