Tinnitus

Tinnitus is the conscious perception of sound in the absence of an external source. It has been described as ringing, buzzing, humming, roaring, waterfall, and sizzling. It is an emotionally charged and sometimes scary, that is often misunderstood and downplayed. This condition can often cause trouble hearing, working or even sleeping. Each person’s tinnitus is unique and will affect each individual differently as its intensity (mild to severe) and pitch (low to high) vary from individual to individual. As per recent studies, over 50 million Indians (1 in 5 people) are affected by some degree of tinnitus.
Interesting fact is tinnitus is not a disease in itself, but a common symptom of something occurring within the hearing system. Since it’s the symptom of a problem, first of all, you should identify what has caused this symptom. You should go through a thorough Audiological and Medical investigation to find out the reasons.

Causes of Tinnitus

Tinnitus can be related to the certain conditions that can happen at a level of hearing system and most common cause of Tinnitus is Inner hair cells damage as this leads to inappropriate perception of sound at the level of brain. Some conditions that cause Tinnitus include Cerumen (Wax) blocking external auditory canal, Ear infection, Tumors of Middle Ear or Auditory Nerve, Otosclerosis (fixation of ossicles inside the Middle Ear), Ototoxic medications (known to damage sensory hair cells in inner ear), Noise-induced hearing loss (related to occupation), high blood pressure, diabetes, emotional breakdown, depression, anxiety, stress etc.
In some cases exact medical cause cannot be found and sometimes treating the underlying cause cannot relieve from Tinnitus.