Tinnitus is a person's perception of sound in the absence of any external auditory stimulus. The sound heard by the person in this sound perception varies in different tones and features. This causes tinnitus to be felt as mild or loud. This ringing usually manifests itself as humming, strong wind, bells, whistling, rustling, machine noise or pulse beats. Generally, high intensity ones are in the form of pulse beats and make themselves felt in every environment. Mild tinnitus is generally felt at night and in quiet environments. Tinnitus can be long-term ringing that significantly affects the psychological state of the person, or sometimes it can be in the form of ringing that lasts for a few minutes.
With tinnitus, a thin and high-pitched sound is heard in the ear. No one can hear this sound except the patient complaining about this situation. In some rare cases, it can also be heard by physicians who examine it using special techniques. However, tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease. For example, if tinnitus appears suddenly and progresses rapidly, and if there are problems such as dizziness, hearing loss, headache and loss of balance that develop with tinnitus, it must be taken into consideration. Tinnitus may be the main symptom of any disease that can cause hearing loss, especially in the field of ear, nose and throat. Inner ear infection may occur as a result of a hole in the eardrum, inflammation, or a tumor in the auditory nerve.
Causes of Tinnitus
Tinnitus may have many different causes. It can be said that there is a direct relationship between hearing loss and tinnitus. However, some systematic diseases other than hearing loss can also be the cause of tinnitus.
Conditions such as earwax, calcification in the middle ear, perforation in the eardrum, otitis media, fluid accumulation in the middle ear, damage to inner ear cells. It causes tinnitus.
Allergy, blood pressure fluctuations, vascular occlusion, cholesterol, intra-ear blood pressure called Meniere's, diabetes, menopause, hormone changes, traumas in the head and neck area, causes caused by the thyroid, called aneurysm. vascular enlargement, tumor in the nerves that provide hearing, Incorrect medication use, neurological, metabolic and psychiatric diseases, and sleep disorders are also conditions that can cause tinnitus.
Anemia and iron deficiency, blood diseases, and kidney failure also cause tinnitus.
Tinnitus occurs when constantly listening to loud music can cause permanent damage to the inner ear cells.
Tinnitus Treatment
Your doctor makes a diagnosis after listening to your history about the disease. At this stage, it is important to make a diagnosis when tinnitus started, whether there is a viral disease accompanying tinnitus, and whether there is exposure to noise or trauma. After listening to the patient's history, ear examination, audiometric and radiological examination are performed depending on the situation. Audiometric examination looks for dirt or debris that may cause blockage in the external auditory canal, or conditions that may cause ringing in the eardrum or middle ear. Hearing loss and its location are determined. If hearing loss occurs at high frequencies, a radiological examination is performed using MRI or computed tomography and the possibility of a tumor is investigated. In cases where no symptoms are observed in these methods, iron, sugar, vitamin B12, cholesterol and zinc deficiencies are checked. Surgical treatment can also be applied if necessary after audiometric and radiological examinations.
Treatment methods vary depending on the cause of tinnitus. Tinnitus can be treated by removing dirt or foreign objects from the ear after an ear examination. In middle ear infections, treatment of the inflammation or the fluid in the middle ear cavity may be recommended. However, inflammation in the ear bone and perforation of the eardrum may require surgical treatment. If conditions such as auditory nerve tumor are detected after radiological examination, surgical treatment is applied. In cases of tinnitus caused by hearing loss, hearing aids may be recommended to patients. Patients who experience tinnitus in a quiet environment at night may be advised to keep sound-producing devices such as clocks, radios and televisions on. In reducing tinnitus, avoiding loud music, controlling blood pressure, drinks such as coffee and cola, and Avoiding smoking, avoiding salty foods, and exercising are among the things that should be done.
Among the treatments for tinnitus, in addition to treatment methods using biomagnetic effect with laser, treatment methods such as patient psychotherapy, bioresonance, and hyperbaric oxygen can also be applied depending on the patient's condition.
If your doctor deems it appropriate, blood thinners or vasodilators may be prescribed to increase the nutrition of the inner ear and to deliver more oxygen to the hearing center of the brain. In some cases, if tinnitus is thought to occur due to the side effects of medication use due to other diseases, the use of these medications can be changed or discontinued as recommended by your doctor.
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