Tinnitus Symptoms
Have you ever heard a noise that seems to come from the inside of your head? If so, you have experienced tinnitus symptoms. At some point in your life you have undoubtedly experienced temporary tinnitus. It should be pointed out that tinnitus is not a medical condition; it is a symptom of an underlying medical condition. Tinnitus symptoms are acute or chronic and can be minor or major in the impact on the individual. There are 3 main causes for tinnitus including hearing loss, medication or loud noises.
Loss of hearing from disease, infection, trauma or aging can also give rise to tinnitus symptoms. The reasons for this are not completely understood and may be related to the phantom limb syndrome. In amputees it is common for the brain – interpreting input from nerves that are still functioning but no longer terminate in the amputated foot or hand, to register the missing body part as still existing. It is theorized this phenomenon creates tinnitus symptoms from malfunctioning auditory nerves.
Exposure to loud sounds is a frequent cause of temporary tinnitus. Examples of when this might occur are; after attending a music concert; after watching an action movie in a theatre where the volume exceeded recommended levels; after using power tools in an enclosed space. The most commonly reported tinnitus symptom in these cases is a ringing in the ears. Prolonged exposure to a noisy environment without ear protection can result in permanent hearing damage and chronic tinnitus (see below).
Medication: Overuse of common aspirin, also called ASA or acetylsalicylic acid, can cause tinnitus symptoms, as can the anti-malarial drug quinine and antibiotics that include aminoglycoside.
Besides the annoying ringing sound, other reported tinnitus symptoms are; a sound like crickets, a high frequency hum, roaring, buzzing, hissing, whistling and clicking.
Clicking noises in the ear can be a sign of misalignment of the jaw bone or spasms of the muscles of the ear or throat. Tinnitus symptoms that include hearing the sound of your pulse is called pulsatile tinnitus. Pulsatile tinnitus is related to the flow of blood in blood vessels near the ear. Common causes of pulsatile tinnitus symptoms are anemia, pregnancy or an overactive thyroid.
On rare occasions, tinnitus symptoms are attributable to tumors or cysts in the middle or inner ears. A tumor that presses on the blood vessels of the ear can cause pulsatile tinnitus. Tumors on the nerve that carries the signals from the ear to the acoustic processing center of the brain cause acoustic neuroma. This condition occurs in only one ear, which distinguishes it from other types of tinnitus and should be examined by a doctor immediately.
