What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a condition where patients hear varied noises in the ear when there is no outside origin of the sound.
The word is derived from the Latin word Tinnire which means ‘to ring’. The sounds can be ringing, whistling, ticking clicking crackling and more often a wooshing sound similar to sounds made by waves or the wind. Tinnitus is not a dysfunction or disease but often a symptom of some other problem or disorder suffered by the patient. Tinnitus is caused by ear congestion or by the presence of foreign bodies in the ear. Some patients experience tinnitus by the intake of aspirin or other prescription drugs. Stress and anxiety can also cause tinnitus. A patient with gradual hearing loss sometimes suffers tinnitus. Sinusitis is often accompanied by tinnitis. Some patients experience tinnitus temporarily after hearing the loud report of a gunshot or a firecracker. Loud music is also a possible cause of temporary tinnitus. The patient may feel tinnitus in one ear or simultaneously in both ears. The patient may feel tinnitus for a short period of time, sporadically or permanently. Patients with high levels of tinnitus suffer the continuous annoyance of a noise like a mosquito singing in a locked room. There are two kinds of tinnitus. Objective Tinnitus is a condition where the noise is heard both by the patient and others. The cause for objective tinnitus are abnormalities in the blood vessels around the ear. The more common type of Tinnitus is where only the patient can hear the noise. Thus Tinnitus is a disorder where a patient hears things when there is nothing to hear.
