Common questions & facts about tinnitus
WHAT IS IT?
Tinnitus is a subjective experience where one hears a sound, ringing, or noise when no external physical sound is present. Some call it "head noises," "ear-ringing," or other similar things.
WHAT DOES THE WORD "TINNITUS" MEAN?
The word is of Latin origin and it means "to tinkle or to ring like a bell." It has two pronunciations, both correct: "tin-nit-us" or "tin-nitus."
WHAT CAUSES IT?
There are many causes; indeed almost everything that can go wrong with the ear has tinnitus associated with it as a symptom. Things as simple as wax against the eardrum to very serious items such as tumors on the VIII nerve can produce tinnitus. Otosclerosis (fixation of the bones in the middle ear) can produce tinnitus. Meniere's disease has tinnitus associated with it. One of the most common causes of tinnitus is exposure to excessively loud sounds such as shooting, chain saws, rock concerts, or other loud noises.
DO MANY PEOPLE SUFFER FROM TINNITUS?
Yes. It is currently estimated that 50 million American adults have tinnitus in some form. Of that number 12 million have it in such a severe form that they must seek medical help. During an average year tinnitus patients spend more money seeking help and treatment for their tinnitus than they do for all their other health conditions. The American Tinnitus Association estimates that tinnitus patients may spend annually as much as 20% more than the average citizen on all health care.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO HAVE TINNITUS?
Fortunately, for most people their tinnitus is no more than a nuisance. In its severe form, however, tinnitus can be a chronic condition causing loss of concentration, sleep problems, and psychological distress. It can also make a deteriorating hearing condition or balance disorder seem worse. Tinnitus has been described as the third worst thing that can happen to mankind. The worst is severe unrelievable pain. the second is severe unrelievable dizziness. People who are suffering from a lifelong tinnitus who have not been helped by conventional methods are sometimes driven to seek any form of treatment that holds out hope for relief. Some tinnitus sufferers seeking relief through non-medical interventions, have tried one or more unproven remedies, even while under the care of a physician. Testimonials of relief, even when well-intentioned can be misleading because tinnitus sometimes fluctuates. Unproven remedies may appear to work simply because they are tried at the beginning of a natural remission.
DO WE KNOW WHAT TINNITUS IS?
The actual cause or event or mechanism of tinnitus is not known. We know it is real; it is a symptom that something is wrong in the auditory system, but we do not know what that something is. We do know that it is not the patient's imagination; it is a physiological or neurological event. There is reason to be hopeful because current research efforts using a tinnitus model may provide the necessary information for identifying its cause.
IS IT ASSOCIATED WITH HEARING LOSS?
In most cases, tinnitus is associated with some hearing loss. For example, those who have been exposed to excessively loud sounds may have a hearing loss for the high pitched tones. Usually their tinnitus will be located as a high pitched tone in the region of hearing loss. In some cases tinnitus is present where there is no hearing loss and for no discernible reason.
DOES TINNITUS MEAN THA TONE IS GOING DEAF?
No, tinnitus is an indication that some kind of damaging agent has attacked the hearing mechanism, but its presence does not mean that the patient will become deaf.
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WHAT MAKES TINNITUS WORSE?
Most common are: 1. Loud Sounds. This is a key thing. Tinnitus patients must avoid loud sounds at all costs. If they use chain saws, guns, motorcycles, noisy vacuum cleaners, etc., they must wear ear protection, either ear plugs or ear muffs or both.. Tinnitus patients are encouraged to do an overkill in protecting their ears from loud sounds. 2. Excessive use of alcohol or so-called recreational drugs. Almost all tinnitus patients find that following states of intoxication their tinnitus is exacerbated. 3. Caffeine. Tinnitus patients are asked to give up all forms of caffeine for a one-month period to determine whether or not caffeine has an adverse effect on their tinnitus. Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, and chocolate. 4. Nicotine. Tinnitus patients are asked to give up smoking because of the vascular effects of nicotine. 5. Aspirin & some antibiotics. Many tinnitus patients have other physical problems requiring them to take these medications. A physician may be able to recommend substitutes or regulate dosage to cause the least amount of head noise. Your physician can obtain a list of drugs that have been said to cause tinnitus from ATA. 6. Stress. Tinnitus may seem worse because coping is more difficult.
WHAT SHOULD A TINNITUS PATIENT DO?
The first and very important thing for each tinnitus sufferer is to be examined by an otologist or an otolaryngologist. The purpose of the examination is to determine whether there is a medical condition for which treatment could relieve or cure the tinnitus. If such is not the case, then the patient should proceed to determine whether non-medical treatments such as masking or biofeedback can produce relief.
WHAT TREATMENTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR TINNITUS?
Several forms of treatment are currently available and several other experimental approaches hold promise for the future. These treatment forms include amplification, masking, biofeedback, electrical stimulation, and dental treatment. 1. Amplification. It has been known for some time that the use of hearing aids can reduce or even eliminate some forms of tinnitus. If a patient has a hearing loss and the tinnitus is in the medium or low pitches, often a hearing aid will help. The hearing aid renders the patient capable of hearing ambient environmental noises instead of his tinnitus. 2. Masking. Starting in 1977, tinnitus maskers have been used to combat tinnitus. These units, which look like hearing aids, generate a band of noise piped into the patient's ear. The principle here is that the masking sound is a more pleasant substitute for the tinnitus sound. Also used for masking are the "tinnitus instrument," a combination unit of a hearing aid and a masker, and specially made masking tapes. Masking does not work for all patients and it is impossible to predict ahead of time which patients can be masked. Masking does not seem to damage hearing when used over long periods. In a study, 24 ears that have been subjected to masking for at least two years have not shown additional hearing loss. What is residual inhibition? This is a special term that applies to a continued masking effect after the masking noise is removed. The period of residual inhibition is usually very short, often less than a minute. 3. Biofeedback. Biofeedback is a relaxation process that has been very successful in the control of tension headaches. It is also effective in teaching one how to handle or cope with stress. Since stress often seems to worsen tinnitus, being able to control stress and tension can be very helpful in coping with tinnitus. 4. Electrical Stimulation. Electrical stimulation for tinnitus is still an experimental technique. Electrodes are placed either behind or in the ears and patterns of electrical energy are transmitted to the cochlea. For some patients this method has proved very successful, for others, it has either done nothing or, in some cases, made their tinnitus worse. 5. Dental Treatment. Dental treatment for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems associated with tinnitus has been effective for some who suffer from this dual problem. Symptoms of damage to this joint, which is located just below the ear, include tinnitus and ear pain.
IS THERE ANY MEDICINE FOR TINNITUS?
At present there is no medicine for tinnitus, but several studies are underway. It has been found that intravenous injections of lidocaine, a local anesthetic, will temporarily stop tinnitus in most patients. However, the cessation is brief and lidocaine has many side effects. Anti-anxiety or tranquilizing drugs have provided temporary relief for some patients experiencing sleep problems or psychological distress.
IS THERE AN OPERATION FOR TINNITUS?
That depends upon the cause. There are surgical techniques being studied that can alleviate certain vascular-neurological problems associated with some tinnitus. Additionally, there are operations for otosclerosis, Meniere's disease, and middle-ear infection. Often when these conditions are cleared up the tinnitus goes away. For the vast majority of cases there is no operation to relieve tinnitus. |
