One of the more serious issues we encounter at Covington Hearing Associates is tinnitus, which is the sensation of ringing in the ears. In order to counterbalance this audio sensation, we can use therapeutic technology that soothes and softens the sound. Contact us today for the diagnosis and tinnitus treatment you need.
What is Tinnitus?
The perception of sound when no actual external noise is present is known as tinnitus. Although tinnitus is commonly referred to as “ringing in the ears”, it can manifest many different perceptions of sound, including buzzing, hissing, whistling, swooshing, and clicking. Some patients with tinnitus report hearing music. Tinnitus can be both an acute (temporary) condition or a chronic (ongoing) health malady.
As millions of Americans experience tinnitus, often to a debilitating degree, it is considered one of the most common health conditions in the country. According to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control, nearly 15% of the general public — over 50 million Americans — experience some form of tinnitus. Around 20 million Americans have burdensome chronic tinnitus, while 2 million struggle with extreme and debilitating cases.
Causes of Tinnitus
Tinnitus is a symptom of other underlying health conditions and not a disease. Mostly, tinnitus is a sensorineural reaction in the brain to damage in the ear or the auditory system. Tinnitus is often associated with hearing loss. However, there are roughly 200 different medical conditions that can have tinnitus as a symptom.
Some of the most reported catalysts for tinnitus are:
Hearing loss Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) Noise-induced hearing loss Obstructions in the middle ear Dirt or foreign objects Loose hair from the ear canal Excessive ear wax Head congestion Head and neck trauma
Temporomandibular joint disorder Sinus pressure and barometric trauma Traumatic brain injury Ototoxic drugs Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) Certain antibiotics Certain cancer medications Water pills and diuretics
Types of Tinnitus
Subjective Tinnitus
Patients with subjective tinnitus hear noises in the head or ears that are perceivable only to them. Although subjective tinnitus is often caused by auditory and neurological reactions to hearing loss, it can be caused by an other catalysts as well. Studies have shown that over 99% of all the reported cases fall in this category. Contact us today to find the right tinnitus treatment for you.
Objective Tinnitus
This type of tinnitus is very rare. Less than 1% of the reported cases fall in this category. People with objective tinnitus hear noises that are audible to other people as well. These sounds are produced by internal functions in the body's circulatory (blood flow) and somatic (musculo-skeletal movement) systems. Contact us today to find the right tinnitus treatment for you.
