Tinnitus is noise or ringing in your ears without an outside sound.
It can also be described as a buzzing, roaring, clicking, booming, hissing, whistling or cicada-like noise.
It can be heard as a single sound or as a mix or blend of different sounds. In some cases, the sound is a whooshing noise associated with your heartbeat. In some cases, the sound may be actual noise from musculoskeletal and vascular structures near your ear.
Tinnitus can affect one or both ears, and can start suddenly or gradually. The sounds can stay there all the time or come and go. The sound can vary in loudness, pitch and intensity.
In many people with tinnitus, the exact cause is not known, but it can be caused by factors such as:
- ageing
- living or working around loud noises
- a buildup of earwax
- ear infections
- eardrum rupture
- hearing loss – 80% of people with tinnitus have hearing loss
- scuba diving
- stress or anxiety – caused by the tinnitus or causing the condition
- some medicines such as aspirin
- drinking an excessive amount of alcohol or caffeinated drinks
- dental or other problems affecting your mouth such as problems with your temporomandibular joint (TMJ), the joint that connects your jaw with your skull
- head, neck or ear injuries
- spasms in muscles close to your inner ear
- injury to your inner ear following surgery or radiation therapy to your head or neck
- severe weight loss from malnutrition or excessive dieting
- repeated exercise with your neck in a hyperextended position, such as when cycling
- diabetes
- Meniere’s disease
- autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis
- blood flow problems such as carotid atherosclerosis (a buildup of plaques in your arteries) and high blood pressure (hypertension)
- nerve problems such as multiple sclerosis or migraine headache
- tumours, particularly acoustic neuroma.
See your GP if:
- your tinnitus is new or getting worse
- you only have tinnitus in one ear
- your tinnitus is affecting your daily functioning
- your tinnitus beats in time with your pulse.
Your doctor will ask you some questions related to your symptoms and your work, and examine your ears. Depending on what they think is causing เล่น UFABET ผ่านมือถือ สะดวกทุกที่ ทุกเวลา your problems, they may perform tests such as hearing tests, blood tests, x-rays or scans such as an MRI or CT scan. Not everyone with tinnitus will need all these tests.