Tinnitus

​Condition 

• Commonly described as a ringing in the ears, but it also can sound like roaring, clicking, hissing, or buzzing.

• May be soft or loud, high pitched or low pitched; hear it in either one or both ears.

• Pulsatile tinnitus, a rare type, sounds like a rhythmic pulsing in the ear, usually in time with your heartbeat.

• Affects ~ 50 million Americans; can have significant emotional, social, and economic impact.

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Cause 

• Indication of auditory system impairment, is sometimes the first sign of hearing loss in the elderly. 

• Can also be the result of a number of health conditions: Noise-induced hearing loss, Ear and sinus infections, Diseases of the heart or blood vessels, Ménière’s disease, Brain tumors, Hormonal changes in women,Thyroid abnormalities, Traumatic Brain Injury.

• Source is the networks of brain cells (neural circuits) that make sense of the sounds ears hear; creates illusion of sound.

• Could be the result of the brain’s neural circuits trying to adapt to loss of sensory hair cells,inner ear damage, abnormal interactions between neural circuits.

Treatment 

• Consult with primary care doctor and get referral to otolaryngologist (commonly called an ear, nose, and throat doctor, or an ENT).

• FDA authorized 'Tinnitus Masker' : An electronic device intended to generate noise of sufficient intensity and bandwidth to mask ringing in the ears or internal head noises. 

• Hearing aids to control outside noise levels and improve hearing.

• Acoustic neural stimulation for severe cases.

• Cochlear implants for those with tinnitus along with severe hearing loss.

• NIH supported research aims to determine the neural basis of tinnitus, and to develop effective interventions for affected people.