subject: What are the Five Main Causes of Tinnitus? [print this page] What are the Five Main Causes of Tinnitus?
There are many reasons why a person would experience ear ringing, but putting your finger on the exact cause can be impossible. The answers that you get can be a little unsettling and this could be because there is no cure for tinnitus. Tinnitus is a condition that causes beeping, buzzing, chirping, swooshing, ringing, humming and whistling amongst other sounds in the inner ear. You are the only one that can hear these annoyances, not the people who surround you. There also may be another cause that is an underlying one; this could be tricky too because doctors may not be able to pinpoint the exact cause of this. Everyone has their own version of symptoms that are found with tinnitus and it can be differing tones from person to person. Many causes account for this one ailment but here are the 4 major and most common ones:
Exposure to Repeated Loud Noise. We have hairs in our ears that are in our cochlea. However when we cause them to bend or break off, we certainly can expect to have some type of lasting damage as far as ringing or deafness. Excessive noise also plays a role in how our hearing is maintained. If your job is very loud or you listen to music that is too loud, you can expect it to happen. When we keep doing what we know is going to harm us, the pulses begin to misfire in the brain and the ringing starts. This is known as tinnitus and for the time being, there is no known cure. Make sure you lower the volume of the tunes you listen to save your hearing. Wear hearing protection if you anticipate excessive noise exposure. They are inexpensive and easy to use, and will save you much grief later on.
Stress or Trauma. We can all do without stress in our lives but the fact is that won't happen because stressful situations are all around us. The hypothalamus controls most of the body's systems and when you become extremely stressed it can paralyze the system and the right chemicals won't be delivered properly. When this happens we tend to become less active and our minds can't handle the simplest of situations.
Sinusitis and Allergies. Tis the season to become plagued with one of the most annoying forms of tinnitus. This can be caused by an infection due to an excessive amount of mucous in the nasal passages. There are over the counter medications than can bring relief, but you need to take warning, since these may produce thicker mucus and can cause damage to the nasal cavity with improper use.
Medications. If you are taking medications there is a chance they may be causing tinnitus. It may either be a side effect or possibly due to toxicity of the medication to the structures in the ear. The list is long of possible culprits but here are some representative examples. Check with your doctor of course for specifics if this is a concern of yours..
Aspirin, other salicylates and NSAIDS (e.g. ibuprofen, naproxen and others)
Certain diuretcs (furosemide, bumetamide and others)
Some antibiotics (aminogycosides, erythromycin, neomycin and others)
Certain chemotherapeutic agents (cisplatin, vincristine, et al)
Quinine derivatives (hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine et al)
Meniere's disease. This is an ear disorder that can cause vertigo, dizziness, nausea, ear pressure and ear ringing. If you notice a change in your hearing or the buzzing begins to overpower your daily activities the chances are that you are going to have another attack. After repeated attacks of Meniere's disease, the sufferer may also experience hearing loss.
There is no cure for tinnitus of any type; the only thing we can do is to find a way to make the symptoms less dramatic. Usually with the five types mentioned above, you will be able to track down the cause for the ringing.
