Tinnitus
is noise in the ears. It may be real or imagined. There is usually
no external sound ( subjective tinnitus) but there is sometimes
a sound that an outside observer can hear (objective tinnitus),
though this is much less common. Tinnitus affects, to a greater
or lesser degree, nearly 20% of the population. The commonest
cause is long-term exposure to high intensity noise. Tinnitus
can be of a ringing or buzzing nature, sometimes a humming or
a whistling. It is usually sensed in both ears but, if it is
only heard in one ear, the sufferer should definitely be investigated
as to cause. Sometimes tinnitus is continuous, sometimes sporadic.
It is often associated with some deafness. The causes of tinnitus
are numerous (including noise as above), trauma, impacted wax,
and drugs such as aspirin and the many conditions that can cause
deafness. The more quiet the surroundings, the more noticeable
the tinnitus. A person moving from the centre of a busy town
to the countryside might notice tinnitus for the first time
because he, or she, can now “hear” it. Very often an ordinary cold can seem to cause tinnitus but is more likely to be revealing what was already there. A modern day cause of tinnitus is the tendency of the young to wear headsets, playing taped music, at a level of volume that would be unacceptable in any other conditions. Similarly very loud exposure to sound can be experienced at rock concerts and discos, particularly by the musicians or DJs themselves.
It is always worth consulting the doctor about tinnitus although, generally, the causes are neither dangerous nor alterable. As said before, people with one-sided tinnitus should always consult a doctor. Treatment may be as simple as removing a piece of impacted wax but in most cases it is reasonable for a referral to an ENT clinic to be made where, amongst other things, a hearing test is usually carried out. Tinnitus in the deaf is very often helped by the provision of an appropriate hearing aid. Sometimes a masking advice can be used to blot out some of the tinnitus and in the majority of cases, where the symptoms are worse in the quiet of night, the sufferer may have a radio switched on beside the bed, on a timer switch. There are also available special devices which will make restful sea, wind, rain types of noise, Prevention is always better than cure and people should always be advised to wear ear protectors when appropriate and the young should be discouraged (!) from exposing themselves to too much loud noise. In all cases re-assurance should be heavily applied as tinnitus is sometimes brought on, and often made worse, by, stress and anxiety. |
