Is there any CURE for Tinnitus??!!??!
Question: | health information | health factsheets
Tinnitus
Published by BUPA's health information team, healthinfo@bupa.com, February 2008.
This factsheet is for people who have tinnitus, or who would like information about it.
Tinnitus is the sensation of a sound in the ear or head that is not being produced by an external source. There are many different disorders that can produce such symptoms.
About tinnitus
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Further information
Sources
Related topics
About tinnitus
It's quite common to have mild tinnitus, and around 12 in 100 people are occasionally affected. According to Clinical Evidence, the review of studies that many UK doctors use, one in 200 people have tinnitus so badly that it affects their ability to lead a normal life.
Tinnitus is hearing sounds in the absence of an external source. You may have what you think is tinnitus when in fact the sounds are really there. For instance, the sound of blood flowing in narrowed arteries in the neck, or the "murmur" of turbulent blood through a defective heart valve can give tinnitus symptoms. Problems with the inner ear can also be to blame. Having anaemia or problems with your Eustacian tube (see illustration) can also cause you to hear abnormal sounds.
Doctors call these objective symptoms, as there is a clear sound-producing process going on. If you have tests for your hearing problems, your doctor will try to pick up one of these causes, which may be treatable.
Tinnitus is a condition where these objective sounds have been ruled out.
Symptoms
The sensation of tinnitus is the sound of high-pitched whistling, buzzing, ringing or hissing. It can also be quite a complex sound, like the roar of an ocean. The sounds may be constant or come and go.
Whatever the cause of the tinnitus, it's almost always made worse by stress, which can be physical, psychological or emotional. Some people are able to live with the sound of their tinnitus quite happily. In others, the sound seriously interferes with their quality of life. The sound can be in one or both ears, or elsewhere in the head.
Illustration showing the parts of the ear.
Causes
Most tinnitus is caused by a problem with the inner ear, which converts sounds to nerve signals, the auditory nerve, which carries these signals to the brain, and the parts of the brain involved in decoding those signals into what we sense as sounds.
Tinnitus is often linked to hearing loss. For this reason it's more common in older people who have age-related hearing loss.
Exposure to loud noise at work may also cause tinnitus. If you work with pneumatic drills or in noisy factories, you may be more at risk of having tinnitus.
Other possible causes of tinnitus can come from your ear, auditory nerve (which carries signals from your inner ear to your brain), infections, side-effects of medicines you have taken and because of problems with your jaw or teeth. These include:
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Answers: | health information | health factsheets
Tinnitus
Published by BUPA's health information team, healthinfo@bupa.com, February 2008.
This factsheet is for people who have tinnitus, or who would like information about it.
Tinnitus is the sensation of a sound in the ear or head that is not being produced by an external source. There are many different disorders that can produce such symptoms.
About tinnitus
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Further information
Sources
Related topics
About tinnitus
It's quite common to have mild tinnitus, and around 12 in 100 people are occasionally affected. According to Clinical Evidence, the review of studies that many UK doctors use, one in 200 people have tinnitus so badly that it affects their ability to lead a normal life.
Tinnitus is hearing sounds in the absence of an external source. You may have what you think is tinnitus when in fact the sounds are really there. For instance, the sound of blood flowing in narrowed arteries in the neck, or the "murmur" of turbulent blood through a defective heart valve can give tinnitus symptoms. Problems with the inner ear can also be to blame. Having anaemia or problems with your Eustacian tube (see illustration) can also cause you to hear abnormal sounds.
Doctors call these objective symptoms, as there is a clear sound-producing process going on. If you have tests for your hearing problems, your doctor will try to pick up one of these causes, which may be treatable.
Tinnitus is a condition where these objective sounds have been ruled out.
Symptoms
The sensation of tinnitus is the sound of high-pitched whistling, buzzing, ringing or hissing. It can also be quite a complex sound, like the roar of an ocean. The sounds may be constant or come and go.
Whatever the cause of the tinnitus, it's almost always made worse by stress, which can be physical, psychological or emotional. Some people are able to live with the sound of their tinnitus quite happily. In others, the sound seriously interferes with their quality of life. The sound can be in one or both ears, or elsewhere in the head.
Illustration showing the parts of the ear.
Causes
Most tinnitus is caused by a problem with the inner ear, which converts sounds to nerve signals, the auditory nerve, which carries these signals to the brain, and the parts of the brain involved in decoding those signals into what we sense as sounds.
Tinnitus is often linked to hearing loss. For this reason it's more common in older people who have age-related hearing loss.
Exposure to loud noise at work may also cause tinnitus. If you work with pneumatic drills or in noisy factories, you may be more at risk of having tinnitus.
Other possible causes of tinnitus can come from your ear, auditory nerve (which carries signals from your inner ear to your brain), infections, side-effects of medicines you have taken and because of problems with your jaw or teeth. These include:
M