1. What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a sound that is subjectively perceived by the human ear in the absence of external acoustic or electrical stimulation. 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 cannot find the corresponding sound source around them. Tinnitus makes people upset and restless, and can affect normal life and work in serious cases.
2.Why does tinnitus occur?
The causes of tinnitus are complex and can generally be divided into two main categories.
① Otogenic diseases (i.e. related to ear diseases): often accompanied by hearing loss, such as caused by ototoxic drug poisoning, viral infections, insufficient blood supply to the inner ear, etc. According to the classification of hearing dysfunction site can be divided into: conductive, sensorineural, and central tinnitus.
(2) Non-auricular diseases: In addition to tinnitus, these patients often have other symptoms of corresponding diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, traumatic brain injury, etc.
3.How to describe tinnitus to the doctor?
①The side of the tinnitus: monaural or binaural.
②The pitch of the tinnitus: low tone: such as the roar of wind, train or machine running; or high tone: such as the sound of cicadas, whistles or sirens; or multiple tones.
③The nature of the tinnitus: the duration of the tinnitus, how it is relieved, and whether it is consistent with the heartbeat.
④Changes in tinnitus: changes in tinnitus with or without triggers, such as a change in pitch when turning the head; an increase in the degree of tinnitus in the morning or after a nap.
4. Is tinnitus a psychological problem?
A large number of facts show that neurological tinnitus is closely related to psychological factors. Psychological factors can be the cause of tinnitus or the result of tinnitus. Tinnitus caused by psychological factors is a typical psychosomatic disease.
5.How to treat tinnitus?
Patients with tinnitus should go to the hospital for detailed examination and try to find out the cause of tinnitus. Special treatment or symptomatic treatment should be given to the cause.
If the tinnitus is caused by surgical lesions (e.g. posterior cochlea lesion, vascular malformation, etc.), it is necessary to receive surgical treatment as soon as possible.
②For tinnitus caused by other diseases (such as hypertension, cervical spondylosis, secretory otitis media, Meniere’s disease, etc.), treatment should be based on the principle of controlling these diseases, supplemented by ear physiotherapy and post-auricular hormone injection.
③For patients whose tinnitus has seriously disturbed their normal work, life or sleep, they should fully understand the long-term and difficult nature of treatment, and actively cooperate with the doctor to carry out treatment and correctly understand the effect of treatment.
④Some patients have a long history of tinnitus and feel stronger tinnitus at the beginning, but with the passage of time, they feel that they have adapted to it and the tinnitus has not worsened, and it does not affect their work, life and sleep. Local physiotherapy and hormone injection behind the ear can be taken as treatment measures, but regular follow-up is required.
⑤ For patients with tinnitus with severe hearing loss, wearing hearing aids is the preferred option.