Tinnitus is a sound that is subjectively perceived by the human ear in the absence of external acoustic or electrical stimuli. It is important to note that tinnitus is an illusion that occurs in the auditory system and is a symptom rather than a disease.
Some people often feel some special sounds in their ears such as buzzing, hissing or sharp whistling, but no corresponding sound source can be found around them. Although tinnitus is seldom life-threatening, it can cause distraction and restlessness, and can affect normal life and work in serious cases.
What are the causes of tinnitus?
1.Noise damage
The sound of storm shock and prolonged noise exposure can lead to hearing loss and tinnitus. People who work in high-intensity noise environments should pay attention to noise protection, such as reducing noise sources or wearing protective earmuffs or earplugs. In addition, be careful not to use headphones for a long time and at high volume in noisy environments.
2.Ototoxic drugs
The application of large doses of quinine, chloroquine, quinidine and other drugs can cause severe tinnitus, but it will improve after stopping the drugs and mostly does not affect hearing. Commonly used antimicrobials such as gentamicin, kanamycin and streptomycin have toxic effects on the auditory nerve and vestibular nerve. Among them, tinnitus may appear early, which is often high pitched and bilateral. If the drug is not discontinued in time, it can rapidly develop into deafness and is difficult to reverse. Therefore, when tinnitus patients visit the doctor due to other diseases, please do not forget to tell your receiving physician that you already have tinnitus.
3. Otogenic diseases
If the cause is removed, the tinnitus will disappear. The main treatment for otosclerosis is surgery, and depending on the condition, you can also choose to use medication for prevention, optional hearing aids or electronic cochlear implants. Tinnitus caused by auditory neuroma is more dangerous. If left untreated, the growth of the tumor compressing the facial nerve may lead to facial palsy and life-threatening compression of brain tissue.
4.Age-related tinnitus
It may be caused by degenerative changes of the auditory nerve system, and generally reaches 30% of people over 60 years old. Drug treatment is ineffective and can only improve some of the symptoms.
5.Mental tension and fatigue
Persistent tinnitus caused by long-term high mental tension and physical fatigue, such as overwork, lack of sleep, mental tension, etc., is generally considered as neurological tinnitus, and there is no special medicine that can improve some of the symptoms. Therefore, it is beneficial to slow down the pace of work, relax emotionally, pay attention to good rest and rest habits, and shift the attention to tinnitus.
6.Tinnitus caused by other system diseases
Systemic diseases: If you suffer from kidney or liver diseases, diabetes, hypertension, tuberculosis, bronchitis, etc., tinnitus will also appear when these diseases cause disorders of the body functions. However, it can disappear as these diseases heal.
Cardiovascular disease: Cardiovascular disease is one of the most common causes of tinnitus. Tinnitus is often pulsatile and synchronized with the pulse and heartbeat. Pulsatile tinnitus is caused by increased cardiac output in anemic individuals.
Neuropsychiatric diseases: Meningitis, concussion, brainstem tumors and vascular lesions can all cause tinnitus, which is called central tinnitus.
Endocrine metabolic diseases: hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism can cause pulsatile tinnitus, the former due to increased cardiac output and the latter due to increased cellular fluid or increased endolymphatic pressure.
7. Bad habits
Caffeine and alcohol can often aggravate tinnitus symptoms; smoking can make blood oxygen drop, and inner ear capillary cells are extremely sensitive to oxygen, so lack of oxygen can cause damage to capillary cells, so attention should be paid to changing bad habits.
Some tinnitus can be controlled with medications, but surgery is not usually used unless the tinnitus is caused by a disease of the ear. If you have tinnitus symptoms, please consult a professional doctor to understand tinnitus disease and to prevent and treat the disease well.