subject: All about Pulsatile Tinnitus [print this page] You can be counted as part of the US statistics that represent people with tinnitus if you hear a regular hissing sound, ringing pitch, a roaring sound, or sometimes a high-pitched whistling in your ear. More than seven million Americans are affected by this disorder and it has already caused them not to live regular normal lives.
Pulsatile tinnitus can be continuous or it can just come and go. Other people experience hearing stranger noises instead of the hissing sound; they hear sounds just like birds chirping, screeching and the stranger sound of music. However, you may not associate tinnitus to a person hearing voices when nobody is around which is called auditory hallucination. The musical tones being heard are more apparent to older people. And sad to say, tinnitus often goes with hearing loss or having too much sensitivity to sound or what is scientifically known as hyperacusis.
Tinnitus is mainly caused by loud noises which damages the inner ear. Earlier treatment and veering away from sources of loud noise are the two best things you can do to prevent tinnitus. The person becomes prone to tinnitus as he grows older. Ear infections can bring about tinnitus but ear wax is rarely the cause. Somatic tinnitus is caused by some head or neck injuries, somatic stands for tinnitus that is brought about by something other than the inner ear. Severe arthritis has also been known as a tinnitus cause.
Another cause of tinnitus is chemotherapy because of the long list of medicines that are part of it. One of the most popular preventive actions you can do is stuff yourself with Vitamin B12 because the deficiency of it can cause tinnitus. It is only possible to detect tinnitus when done by an expert on ear diseases, an otologist or a neurologist at that. An otoscope is the instrument used to check if the ear drum is in place or if it is inflamed or scarred or just in motion. The TMJ joints of the jaw are also checked since a large percentage of people with TMJ have tinnitus.
