Tinnitus is a common disease, and it is estimated that there are at least 100 million tinnitus sufferers in China. Many people take a laissez-faire approach to tinnitus, thinking that it will heal itself like a cold, but this attitude is not desirable. Let’s find out the “invisible killers” hiding behind tinnitus. One of the invisible killers: nasopharyngeal cancer Many people will think that nasopharyngeal cancer always grows in the nasopharynx, what does it have to do with the ear? In fact, they are closely related to each other. Between the nasopharynx and middle ear cavity, there are two connected tubes called eustachian tube, and nasopharyngeal cancer often occurs near the opening of eustachian tube. Patients often experience tinnitus, a feeling of stuffiness and blockage in the ear, and hearing loss, but they feel loud when they hear themselves speak. About half of the patients with nasopharyngeal cancer have tinnitus, which is often a low-frequency buzzing sound. Therefore, once the above symptoms appear, especially for men who are frequent smokers, they should be highly alert to the possibility of nasopharyngeal cancer. Sudden deafness, also known as sudden hearing loss, is a spontaneous, sudden and often rapid neurological hearing loss in one ear, often accompanied by tinnitus, which is predominantly high pitched. The cause of this disease is unknown and may be related to cold, heat, fatigue, allergies or viral infections such as influenza, mumps or herpes zoster, etc. The blood circulation and material metabolism of the inner ear becomes impaired and the blood supply is inadequate, resulting in hearing loss. In addition, the formation of blood clots can aggravate the obstruction of blood circulation in the inner ear, so patients with atherosclerosis must be alert and go to the hospital for a comprehensive examination in time to prevent the problem before it happens. Hearing neuroma is a tumor arising from lesions in the sheath cells of the auditory nerve, accounting for 7-12% of intracranial tumors, and is the most common type of intracranial neuroma. In its early stage, due to the compression of the auditory nerve by the tumor, unilateral tinnitus often occurs, and it is a high-pitched cicada or siren sound. It starts as paroxysmal and progresses to persistent, with progressive hearing loss or even deafness. Since the auditory nerve in the inner ear canal is accompanied by the facial and vestibular nerves, it is likely that the tumor will also compress them and cause symptoms such as facial numbness, facial palsy and vertigo. Most auditory neuromas are benign tumors and are treated by surgical excision. Invisible killer No. 4: Cardiovascular disease Tinnitus may be the precursor of coronary heart disease. Some patients with cardiovascular disease may be accompanied by bilateral, high-pitched tinnitus. This is because the cochlea is sensitive to the amount of blood and oxygen content. In the early stages of cardiovascular disease, the amount of blood flowing to the brain and the oxygen content in the blood are reduced, which makes the microvascular dynamics of the cochlea abnormal and eventually leads to tinnitus. According to statistics, among cardiac patients with tinnitus, 86.7% have tinnitus before angina, and 8.6% have angina and tinnitus at the same time. Therefore, all cardiovascular patients, especially middle-aged and elderly patients, should go to the hospital for cardiovascular system examination once they have persistent tinnitus. Invisible killer No. 5: Drug poisoning Improper use of drugs can cause drug poisoning, and one of the symptoms of poisoning may be tinnitus. This is because some drugs damage the nerves in the inner ear. Drugs such as high doses of quinine, quinidine, chloroquine, etc., can cause severe tinnitus, but it will gradually improve after stopping the drug, and most of them will not affect hearing. In contrast, high doses of gentamicin, streptomycin, kanamycin and other drugs can be very damaging to the auditory nerve and vestibular nerve, and if the drugs are not stopped in time, deafness can develop rapidly and be difficult to recover. Invisible killer No. 6: Stress and emotional tension High work pressure and emotional tension are an important cause of tinnitus. Menopause, the intense work of white-collar workers, the intense study of students, and middle-aged and elderly people who sleep too late at night playing mahjong can cause tinnitus. Degeneration of inner ear cell function in old age is also a common cause of tinnitus. Therefore, the symptoms of tinnitus should not be ignored, and we should go to the hospital in time for examination, early detection and early treatment, and find out the right cause for the right treatment. We should also pay attention to the prevention of tinnitus in general, less activities in noisy environments, and young people should try to bring less headphones.