Tinnitus

Tinnitus (ti-NY-tus) is the sense of ringing, whistling, or similar noise in the ear when no external sound is present.

What Is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a mysterious disorder that affects as many as 50 million Americans. People with tinnitus often describe the sound they hear as a ringing, but they sometimes say it resembles whistles, sizzles, clicks, roars, or other sounds too complex to explain easily. Some people experience the noise only at certain times or notice it only when it is quiet, such as at bedtime. Others, however, live with a constant unpleasant sound.

The noise can be high-pitched like a baby's whine or low like a rumbling train. It might sound like a continuous tone or cycle in a rhythm, often in time with the heartbeat.

What Causes Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is sometimes a symptom of other problems, such as too much earwax or an ear or nasal infection. Other causes include cardiovascular disease, tumors, jaw misalignment, anemia, and neck and head injuries. Certain medicines, such as aspirin and some antibiotics, as well as carbon monoxide and alcohol, can also cause tinnitus. Long-term exposure to loud sounds such as a jet plane or loud music can also lead to tinnitus.

In some cases, a person may have problems with a part of the hearing pathway, such as the cochlea, which is a bony, coil-shaped part of the inner ear. Some evidence suggests another portion of the hearing pathway may be involved in many cases of tinnitus, the dorsal cochlear nucleus, which is basically a relay point between the nerves in the ear and the brain. Researchers have studied the dorsal cochlear nucleus in the hopes of one day developing a treatment for tinnitus.

What Can a Doctor Do?

First, a doctor looks for the cause. If a doctor can find the cause and determine that it can be corrected through a straightforward measure, such as removing earwax or treating an infection, the tinnitus usually goes away.

Sometimes a doctor cannot easily correct tinnitus, and people must find ways to live with it. Hearing aids are a common way to help, if the cause is related to hearing loss. Sometimes the person uses a device such as a hearing aid that covers the tinnitus with another sound that is less noticeable or less disturbing.

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