Tinnitus
(Ringing in the Ears and Other Ear
Noise)
John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP
John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
- Tinnitus facts
- What is, and what are the symptoms of tinnitus?
- What causes tinnitus?
- How is tinnitus evaluated?
- What is the treatment of tinnitus?
- Tinnitus medications
- What are tinnitus relief remedies?
- Can tinnitus be prevented?
- Is there anything to do to lessen intensity of the tinnitus?
- Tinnitus Pictures - Slideshow
- Take the Ear Infection Quiz
- Balance Disorders - Slideshow
- Patient Comments: Tinnitus - Causes
- Patient Comments: Tinnitus - Effective Treatments
- Patient Comments: Tinnitus - Symptoms
- Patient Comments: Tinnitus - Relief Remedies
- Find a local Ear, Nose, & Throat Doctor in your town
Tinnitus facts
- Tinnitus is abnormal ear noise.
- Tinnitus can arise in any of the four sections of the ear: the outer ear, the middle ear, the inner ear, and the brain.
- Persisting unexplained tinnitus is evaluated with a hearing test (audiogram).
- Measures can be taken to lessen the intensity of tinnitus.
What is, and what are the symptoms of tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a ringing, swishing, or other type of noise that seems to originate in the ear or head. In many cases it is not a serious problem, but rather a nuisance that eventually resolves. Rarely, however, tinnitus can represent a serious health condition.
It is not a single disease, but a symptom of an underlying condition. Nearly 36 million Americans suffer from this disorder. In almost all cases, only the patient can hear the noise.
What causes tinnitus?
Tinnitus can arise in any of the following areas: the outer ear, the middle ear, the inner ear, or by abnormalities in the brain. Some tinnitus or head noise is normal. If one goes into a sound proof booth and normal outside noise is diminished, one becomes aware of these normal sounds. We are usually not aware of these normal body sounds, because outside noise masks them. Anything, such as ear wax or a foreign body in the external ear, that blocks these background sounds will cause us to be more aware of our own head sounds. Fluid, infection, or disease of the middle ear bones or ear drum (tympanic membrane) can also cause tinnitus.
One of the most common causes of tinnitus is damage to the microscopic endings of the hearing nerve in the inner ear. Advancing age is generally accompanied by a certain amount of hearing nerve impairment, and consequently chronic tinnitus.
Today, loud noise exposure is a very common cause of tinnitus, and it often damages hearing as well. Unfortunately, many people are unconcerned about the harmful effects of excessively loud noise, firearms, and high intensity music.
Some medications (for example, aspirin) and other diseases of the inner ear (Meniere's syndrome) can cause tinnitus. Tinnitus can in very rare situations be a symptom of such serious problems as a brain aneurysm or a brain tumor (acoustic tumor).
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