Tinnitus is the blanket term for noises in the ears.
The word comes from the Latin and means “ringing”.
However the noise heard by people with tinnitus
may also be a whistle, hum, buzz, whooshing,
click or tapping sound.
It may be heard in one or both ears.
For many people it feels as if the noise
is coming from their head;
for others it appears to be coming from outside.
The volume of the noise can vary:
sometimes it is barely audible, then very loud again.
Tinnitus may only last for brief periods.
However it may also be permanent, or come and go.
If it lasts for more than three months
it is referred to as chronic tinnitus.
Tinnitus can be, but is not necessarily,
associated with hearing loss.
Most people with tinnitus have normal hearing.
The symptoms are often relatively mild:
they are irritating but people can learn to live with them.
However for some of those affected
the noises in their ears are so loud that they have a significant effect
on everyday life and quality of life.
They can cause constant stress
and affect concentration and sleep.
This can sometimes even make people prone to depression,
or trigger a depressive episode.
On the other hand the symptoms and irritations
caused by chronic tinnitus
can sometimes fade over the years.
It is caused in most cases by noise
damaging the sensory cells in the cochlea in the inner ear.
It is particularly prevalent in people
who spend lots of time in loud environments
or who experience “blast trauma” following a brief, extremely loud noise
such as a shot or explosion in their immediate vicinity.
The reason why tinnitus develops,
when hearing is damaged by noise and what exactly happens when it does
has not been conclusively established.
This makes effective treatment difficult.
One theory out of many others is
that the damaged or irritated sensory cells in the cochlea
stop sending signals to the brain.
The nerve cells in the brain’s auditory center respond
to the absence of real signals with increased activity,
sending “phantom signals”, similar to the “phantom pain” felt after an amputation.
However there are also other possible causes of tinnitus
such as:
• earwax blocking the auditory canal
• burst eardrum
• maxillary muscle or temporomandibular joint disorders
• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• taking certain types of medication
• or various inner ear disorders
Tinnitus may also occur entirely for no apparent reason
but if so it normally does not last longer than a minute.
If the tinnitus is not caused by noise but is clearly caused by something else,
it will improve when that cause is removed.
In other cases there are no treatments
that have been scientifically proven to be effective.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
where those affected learn how to cope with the noises in their ear
appears to be the only option for improving
the quality of life of people with chronic tinnitus.
In short:
Tinnitus is the blanket term
for various types of noises in the ears, most of which only last a short time
but can also last very long.
Their intensity can also vary.
The noises are often merely irritating,
and do not cause any other discomfort.
However chronic tinnitus can affect quality of life.
It is caused in most cases by noise damaging the cells in the ear,
but there are also other causes.
If the tinnitus has a known cause
it will improve when the cause is removed.
If the cause is not known
cognitive behavioral therapy is the only recognized option
for improving quality of life.