Tinnitus Infection

Tinnitus infection involves a noise that can be heard in the ears consistently and can be very disturbing. While many people will experience noise from tinnitus temporarily, for others it's unfortunately more of a permanent feature. Although there is no cure, there are some measures that can be applied to provide relief.

Definition

• Tinnitus is a noise that can sound like ringing, swishing or buzzing that you can hear either in your head or outer, middle or inner ear.

Causes

• Hearing impairment due to advancing age can result in tinnitus. Damaged microscopic endings of the hearing nerve of the inner ear are the most common cause. Infection or fluid in the ear drums can also result in tinnitus, as can consistent exposure to loud noise.

Diagnosis

• Diagnosis involves an audiogram and an auditory brain stem response test to test the hearing nerve. A CT or MRI scan is performed to rule out a tumor, a physical exam is performed, and a complete medical history taken.

Treatment/ Prevention

• There is no cure for tinnitus, but after evaluation you doctor may have identified the reason for your tinnitus and offer treatment. Other steps you can take are to reduce stress and caffeine as they worsen symptoms. Use "maskers" that are small devices that block the noise of tinnitus with "white noise."

Facts

• Approximately 12 million Americans suffer from tinnitus, with around 1 million having a severe form. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, tinnitus is more prevalent in white individuals. Twelve percent of men aged, between 65 and 74 have tinnitus.