WHAT IS TINNITUS?

Tinnitus is a symptom of an underlying condition was described as a perception of noise or ringing, buzzing, roaring, clicking, or hissing. Although the tinnitus is not a disease by itself. The tinnitus is a common problem affecting more than 20% of people.

The tinnitus can be divided into two categories:

1. Subjective tinnitus:

• Only the patient can hear.
• The cause of may be from inner, middle, or outer ear.
• More common type.

2. Objective tinnitus:
   • The patient and the examiner can hear the tinnitus
   • Can be caused by muscle contraction in the ears or throat, temporomandibular joint, or from the blood vessel (narrowing) in the neck or ears.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF TINNITUS?

 Causes of Subjective Tinnitus:

The most common cause of subjective tinnitus is the inner ear cell damage (40%).

• Hearing loss: Prosbycusis, autoimmune hearing loss.
• Brain lesion: Tremor, meningitis, MS, brain stroke, intracranial hypertension.
• Medication: Numerous medications have been reported to cause tinnitus.
• Heart trauma (whiplash)
• Barotrauma
• Loud noise exposure.
• Systemic disease: Depression and anxiety, hypertension, hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, vitamin deficiency and hyperlipidemia

Causes of Objective Tinnitus (Pulsatile Tinnitus)

• Intracranial hypertension in the most causes of pulsatile tinnitus
• Arteriovenous malformation causes pulsatile tinnitus that is synchronous with heart beats.
• Stenosis of the vessels in the neck causing whooshing sound synchronous with heart beats.
• Hypertension
• Vascular tumor like glomus lymphoma.