Tinnitus (tinnitus) is the sensation of sound in the ear that occurs without any external stimuli.
It can occur in one or both ears, be permanent or temporary, loud or muffled, monotonous or pulsating.
Some people do not feel any discomfort from the buzzing or ringing in the ears: it appears and disappears and a person may not even pay attention to it. But sometimes the noise is so intrusive that it becomes difficult to concentrate on work tasks, communicate with people or fall asleep.
Depending on the cause, tinnitus can be completely cured or corrected so that it does not interfere with normal life.
Causes of development tinnitus
As a rule, sounds in the ears become symptoms of an underlying disease or a serious malfunction in the body. Tinnitus itself develops under the influence of various factors:
- Damage (trauma, disease) to the cochlea of the inner ear, outer ear or middle ear structures. This is one of the most common factors of tinnitus – more than 85% of people who are bothered by tinnitus report a decrease or loss of hearing. Permanent work in industrial production or construction sites, frequent listening to loud music through headphones, and attending concerts can lead to the disease.
- Inflammation or infection in the ears. For example, middle ear otitis media causes unpleasant sounds that only the patient can hear. It occurs in children or adults when bacteria or viruses enter the middle ear.
- Chronic diseases. For example, Meniere’s syndrome, characterized by episodes of vertigo and hearing loss, contributes to the development of extrinsic tinnitus.
- Use of potent medications. Some medications have tinnitus as a side effect (examples: antibiotics, antiemetics, antidepressants, tranquilizers, nootropics, diuretics). When the medication is stopped, the tinnitus usually goes away on its own.
- Mental and neurological illnesses, schizophrenia, emotional stress, anxiety and depression. Increased tinnitus occurs during periods of increased stress or emotional tension. For example, patients who experience constant stress at work or in their personal lives report increased tinnitus during difficult moments. Depression also affects the appearance of pathology.
- Vascular lesions of the brain, temporal bone, and auditory passages – hypertension, hypotension, stroke, meningiomas.
- Benign neoplasms, tumors that affect the blood supply to the hearing organs or cause their subsequent dysfunction.
Often subjective sounds in the ears appear as a result of age-related changes. The symptom is not always associated with lesions of the hearing organs, sometimes tinnitus appears due to endocrine, neurological, vascular disorders and requires a comprehensive approach to treatment. Therefore, an otolaryngologist can refer you to related specialists to find out the cause of the pathology and further correction.
Possible complications
- Neuropsychiatric disorders. Chronic tinnitus leads to serious psychological problems in patients. The constant presence of intrusive noise provokes anxiety, depression, panic attacks and numerous phobias.
- Exacerbation of chronic diseases. If a person suffers from diabetes, thyroid disease, hypertension, migraines and other chronic pathologies, then tinnitus will only intensify the symptoms.
- Macro- and microangiopathies. Tinnitus contributes to high blood sugar and exacerbation of diabetes mellitus.
- Concentration and memory disorders. Tinnitus prevents a person from focusing on important tasks and interferes with the normal functioning of the brain. As a result, it contributes to poor performance and cognitive decline.
- Chronic fatigue. Lack of adequate sleep and chronic fatigue caused by tinnitus leads to decreased work performance, increased irritability and health problems.
- Headaches and dizziness. Tinnitus is often accompanied by unpleasant physical problems – headache, migraine, disorientation in space, hearing loss, balance problems and decreased appetite. These symptoms also have a negative impact on a person’s well-being and mood.
Tinnitus prevents a person from communicating with others, causing them to withdraw into themselves and avoid all social interactions. Patients begin to deliberately refuse social events, holidays, meetings or friendly gatherings because of embarrassment or fear that other people will hear their tinnitus. This only exacerbates existing psychological problems.
Laboratory diagnostics of tinnitus
The following tests are required to detect acute or chronic ENT diseases, ear abnormalities and disorders of a number of internal organs and systems:
- General clinical and biochemical blood tests – to exclude inflammatory phenomena and metabolic disorders, to assess the function of organs;
- Coagulogram – assessment of clotting ability;
- Determination of rheumatoid factor – indicators of immune system pathologies and inflammatory phenomena in the body;
- Antinuclear antibody test – detects antibodies to systemic diseases such as lupus erythematosus;
- Lipid profile – allows you to find out the level of useful and harmful cholesterol in the blood, measure the amount of low and high density lipoproteins, therefore, make a conclusion about the risk of atherosclerosis, heart attack, stroke (which often occurs and tinnitus).
The specialist can also prescribe a number of additional examinations to exclude pathologies of the heart and blood vessels, thyroid gland, brain.
Prevention of tinnitus
To prevent the disease, the following recommendations should be followed:
- Avoid prolonged noise exposure (120 dB and above). Listening to music at too high a volume can lead to acoustic trauma and the development of ear abnormalities. Try not to listen to music with headphones at maximum volume. If you work in an environment with high noise and vibration levels (e.g. construction site), use ear protection or other protective equipment.
- Adhere to a healthy lifestyle. Eat a balanced diet, move more and take walks in the fresh air. People with chronic tinnitus can benefit from various relaxation techniques and methods such as yoga and walking in the woods. Control your stress level and try to give up bad habits (smoking, alcohol and others).
- Monitor your blood sugar and cholesterol, and have your blood pressure measured more often.
- Consult a qualified doctor at any alarming symptoms indicating hearing impairment. Also treat infectious and inflammatory diseases such as purulent otitis media, meningitis, and influenza in a timely manner. In case of untreated infection, complications may arise, and ear noise may become a symptom.
If you have already been diagnosed with tinnitus, follow preventive measures to avoid exacerbation or progression of the pathology.
- Follow your doctor’s treatment instructions, take medications, and make lifestyle adjustments;
- Try to avoid strong sounds that may increase the symptoms of tinnitus;
- Engage in sound therapy – play background sounds to distract and draw attention away from the ailment (e.g., sea noise, nature sounds, calm relaxing music);
- Work regularly with a therapist – this can help you cope with the emotional instability of anxiety or depression.
