Tinnitus Hearing Loss

A more popular term for tinnitus is ‘ringing in the ears’ because such is the physical manifestation of the disease. Tinnitus does not result hearing loss. However, people who already have hearing loss can have tinnitus. Though tinnitus is not the major proponent for hearing loss, it may still be a symptom for hearing loss. This may range from mild to severely painful.

Basically, this occurs when people think that they can hear something but there is no sound in reality. People with this disease hear such noise from ringing to a roar. The duration differs from person to person. One may experience such occasionally, others for a span of time. It may be recurring or it may be constant.

Tinnitus can be caused by several factors. The most common cause of tinnitus is prolonged exposure to loud noises. Other causes include head injuries, Meniere’s disease, ototoxic drugs and tumors on the auditory nerve. There are some causes which related to the brain but the origin is still unknown. One speculation is that in response to the loss of sensory hair cells in the ear, the brain reacts to order the remaining ear cells to be more sensitive to sound perception.

Untreated extreme tinnitus will have a detrimental effect to a person’s daily life. His daily activities, works and studies are much affected.

In terms of research, tinnitus researches are growing in significance. Based from a premier tinnitus association, tinnitus is the primary service-related disability for military veterans from wars. This has caused the government major expenses for treating the tinnitus patients. With this, the defense departments of several countries have grown fund s and interest to help improve treatments for tinnitus.

You? Have you been hearing something you are the only who apparently hears? That may be tinnitus. Better get checked.