Tinnitus

What is it?
-The word is of Latin origin, meaning "to tinkle or to ring like a bell."

-tinnitus is the perception of sound in the ears or head where no external source is present. Some call it "ringing in the ears" or "head noise."

-Tinnitus is a ringing, swishing, or other type of noise that seems to originate in the ear or head.

-a symptom of an underlying condition.

-Some tinnitus or head noise is normal. If one goes into a sound proof booth and normal outside noise is diminished, one becomes aware of these normal sounds. [ ever experienced it in a car with its doors and windows closed, without it's engine turned on? ]

-We are usually not aware of these normal body sounds, because outside noise masks them

• Some of the most common include a sound of crickets or roaring, buzzing, hissing, whistling, and high-pitched ringing.
  
  
• Other types of tinnitus include a clicking or pulsatile tinnitus (the noise accompanies your heartbeat).
  
  
• The most common type of tinnitus is known as subjective tinnitus, meaning that you hear a sound but it cannot be heard by others.
  
  
• A much more uncommon sort is called objective tinnitus, meaning your doctor may sometimes actually hear a sound when he or she is carefully listening for it.
  
  CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE THE FULL IMAGE
  
  
  
  

What causes it?
-Tinnitus can arise in any of the four sections of the hearing system: the outer ear, the middle ear, the inner ear, and the brain.

-Probably the most common cause for tinnitus is hearing loss.

- Anything, such as wax or a foreign body in the external ear, that blocks these background sounds will cause us to be more aware of our own head sounds.

-One of the most common causes of tinnitus is damage to the microscopic endings of the hearing nerve in the inner ear.

-Advancing age is generally accompanied by a certain amount of hearing nerve impairment, and consequently tinnitus

- loud noise exposure is a very common cause of tinnitus, and it often damages hearing as well.

-Some medications (aspirin) and other diseases of the inner ear (Meniere's syndrome-a disorder of the inner ear that can affect hearing and balance) can cause tinnitus.

-Tinnitus can in very rare situations be a symptom of such serious problems as an aneurysm or a brain tumor (acoustic tumor).

-Pulsatile tinnitus is usually related to blood flow, either through normal or abnormal blood vessels near the ear. Causes of pulsatile tinnitus include pregnancy, anemia (lack of blood cells), overactive thyroid, or tumors involving blood vessels near the ear. Pulsatile tinnitus can also be caused by a condition known as benign intracranial hypertension-an increase in the pressure of the fluid surrounding the brain.