Tinnitus

Approximately 50 million Americans have tinnitus (pronounced tin-NIGHT-us or TIN-i-tus), which is the perception of sound, when no external sound is present. As many as 12 million tinnitus sufferers will seek medical attention, and about 2 million feel incapacitated by the "ringing" in their ears.

What causes tinnitus?

The exact physiologic mechanism of tinnitus is not known. Some feel that tinnitus occurs when there is erroneous neural firing somewhere along the auditory nerve pathways, nerve activity which is not in response to an actual external sound source. However, we do know of some disorders which are have been associated with tinnitus:

  • Sensorineural hearing loss is highly associated with tinnitus. Deterioration of the structures in the inner ear, such as caused by noise exposure, aging, or use of ototoxic medications, can manifest as hearing loss AND tinnitus. Up to 90 percent of all people with tinnitus have some degree of hearing loss. Tinnitus, however, does not cause hearing loss.
  • Excessive wax in the ear canal. When enough cerumen is present to block your ear canal and reduce your hearing, tinnitus can become more perceptible.
  • Ear or sinus infections
  • Acoustic Neuroma (a rare, benign, slow-growing tumor on the auditory nerve)
  • Jaw or temperomandibular joint (TMJ) problems
  • Head or neck trauma
  • Cardiovascular disease

Perception of tinnitus

Tinnitus is a very subjective experience. It is often described as "high-pitch ringing" in one or both ears, or in the head. Some people report hissing, buzzing, humming, roaring, crickets, or even music. The "head noises" can be constant, intermittent, or pulsating. Tinnitus can be perceived as soft or loud, or it can vary. Many patients report that they notice their tinnitus more when the room is quiet, such as when going to sleep. Some things are known to exacerbate the perception of tinnitus, such as exposure to loud sounds, stress and fatigue. Some people find that intake of alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, sugar, or quinine (tonic water) can make tinnitus sound worse.

Treatment of tinnitus

Treating an underlying medical cause of tinnitus (such as ear infection, wax build-up) should be effective in reducing the tinnitus. However, when tinnitus arises from the inner ear, or along the auditory neural pathway, or if the cause is unknown, treatment is more difficult. If there is hearing loss associated with the tinnitus, using hearing aids often brings relief from tinnitus because hearing aids bring more external sound into the auditory system, so that the internal sounds are less bothersome. For some people, managing stress and minimizing noise exposure is enough to keep their tinnitus from being annoying. When tinnitus is more intrusive, some people find relief by using a tinnitus masker, which generates a soft sound to "cover" the tinnitus. Success with tinnitus maskers varies. Cognitive-type treatments, such as Tinnitus Retraining Therapy are designed to redirect the patients focus away from the tinnitus so that it's less noticeable.

If you have concern about ringing in your ears, we can help determine if there is an underlying medical cause, or not. Our Audiologist will perform a complete hearing evaluation to see if there is any hearing loss, as well as a test called Otoacoustic Emissions to collect information regarding the status of the hair-cells in the inner ear. Our Otolaryngologists are available to assess the medical status of your auditory system and recommend diagnostic tests and/or treatment.