Noise, ringing in the ears - Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.

Symptoms similar to Tinnitus:

• Buzz
• Noises in the ears
• Ringing in the ears

Noise in the ear is a subjective sensation described by the patients as hum, squeak, buzzing, ringing, roaring. Along with other abnormal noises in the ear, ringing in the ears is more correctly called tinnitus. In most cases, noise is accompanied by a decrease in hearing. When the auditory nerve is affected, the noise in the ears appears usually suddenly or develops within a short time. Ringing in the ears can occur due to abnormalities in any of the four areas: the outer ear, the middle ear, the inner ear and the brain. Noise in the ears is an absolute sign of the pathology of one of the ear sections, and the spectrum of diseases causing these symptoms is quite wide. In some cases, these are signs of head and neck vessels. In any case, prompt medical consultation, examination and treatment is needed

Causes of noise / ringing in the ears

Injury of the inner ear ( auditory nerve - cochlear neuritis)

• Consequences of the transferred ARVI / ARI
• Reception of ototoxic antibiotics( aminoglycosides - gentamicin, streptomycin)
• Vascular atherosclerosisof the brain, hypertensive disease
• Sharp loud noises( shots, scream)
• Tumors of the auditory nerve

Defeat of the middle ear

• Exudative otitis
• Damage of the ba(a trauma or for example from the noise of airplanes, small arms, or loud music)
• Otosclerosis( proliferation of bone tissue in the ear elements)

Defeat of the outer ear

• Cereal plug
• Foreign bodies

Among other reasons, very often such symptoms are observed after severe psychoemotionalstress. In some cases, the hearing decreases for no apparent reason. To some extent, the hearing decreases absolutely in all people with age. This phenomenon is called presbybacosis.

Other causes of ringing in the ears

• Tinnitus
• Medications( both prescription and non-prescription, in particular aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs( NSAIDs)
• Aging( presbiakusis)
• Rarely, aneurysm or acoustic neuroma( benigntumor of the auditory nerve.)

What should I do if there is noise / ringing in my ears?

Diseases that cause noise or ringing in the ears are necessarily treated under the supervision of the doctor. Therefore, when there is noise in the ears and hearing lossSlowly consult a doctor, as the hearing loss may progress down to deafness over time, and after several diagnostic procedures( examination, tuning forks, audiometry, MRI of the head), the specialist will prescribe adequate treatment.duration of at least 10 days, in some cases, intervention( removal of sulfur plug, surgery for damage to the tympanic membrane, otosclerosis).

If treatment for neurosensory hearing loss( cochlear neuritis) is started within 3 days of the onset of the disease, then, as a rule, the hearing is restored completely, the noise passes. If the duration of the disease is more than a week, then one hundred percent of the hearing can not always be restored. Diseases older than a month have not much chance of a complete cure. There are data that it was possible to restore hearing and after 3 months of the disease, but this is rather an exception than the rule.

There are a number of drugs designed to improve hearing. But it is important to know that in order to treat a disease you need to know exactly the diagnosis and all the features of the disease and the organism of the sick person. Therefore, self-treatment is categorically unacceptable. Adequate course of therapy, for example, with cochlear neuritis, consists of a minimum of 4 drugs for intravenous and intramuscular injection plus tablet preparations. The most correct will be in the first hours of the appearance of noise in the ears and hearing loss to consult a specialist.

* Tinnitus in children

It turned out that the frequency of ringing in the ears among children with normal hearing ranged from 6 to 36%, and in children with deafened hearing was significantly higher.

Swedish scientists led by Kajsa-Mia Holgers( Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg) evaluated the prevalence of ringing in the ears among 7-year-olds with normal and low hearing.

In this case, ringing in the ears of 12% of children did not correlate with any violations in the inner ear, and 2.5% of children had ringing due to loud noise around( loud music, etc.) Thus, scientists came to the conclusion,that ringing in the ears of children can have the same reasons as in adults. Accordingly, the prevention of these disorders should be similar.

To which doctor to consult with noise in the ears

• Otolaryngologist( otiatrist)
• Neuropathologist
• Therapist( cardiologist)