There
are more than six million people in the UK who experience tinnitus
(noise in their ears or head and about 30% of people will experience
Tinnitus at some point in their life) yet most people are unaware that
the symptom could be a sign of loss of hearing.
The symptom was highlighted in the news recently as a TV
presenter, Susannah Reid, admitted that she struggles with Tinnitus
which was diagnosed soon after the birth of her son. Susannah expressed
her frustration on Twitter, that she was having a particularly ‘tough’
day of ringing. She says, “My tinnitus is so loud right now. The noise
you used to hear when TV programming finished at the end of the day.
That in my head”.
Tinnitus is a common,
with 1 in 10 adults in the UK reported to be affected. In light of the
recent spotlight on the symptom, we asked Mr Jeremy Lavy of Highgate Private Hospital more about the condition including whether it could be the sign of something more serious and whether it can be treated.
What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus
is the perception of sound when there is no sound present. It can
affect one or both ears and can occur on its own or associated with
other ear conditions most notably hearing loss. The patient may hear
different types of sound, for example, ringing, whooshing or a humming
or a buzzing in the ear. It can be continuous or it may come and go.
Some people may think the noise is coming from outside and even look for
it in their own environment and others say that the sounds have a
musical quality and can seem like a familiar tune or song. This can
occur in older people who have a hearing loss and a strong musical
interest.
What sort of patient typically experiences Tinnitus?
Whilst
Tinnitus is more common in patients with hearing loss or other ear
problems, the symptom can be experienced by both men and women at any
age group, but it can also be found in people with normal hearing. Some
people find it moderately annoying whilst others find it very hard to
live with.
What causes Tinnitus?
It’s not always clear what causes tinnitus, but it’s
often linked with some form of hearing loss which can be triggered by
the effects of an external sound. When we hear, sound travels into the
ear and then the hearing nerves take the signals to the brain. The
brain is then responsible for putting it all together and making sense
of the sound. Because the ears don’t know what’s important and what’s
not, they send a lot of information to the brain. This is too much
information for us to process, so the brain filters out a lot of
unnecessary ‘activity’ and background sound, such as clocks ticking or
traffic noise. Tinnitus can be linked with conditions such as diabetes,
thyroid disorders or multiple sclerosis, anxiety or depression.
Can it be treated?
You
may need to be referred to an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon who
will rule out any medical factors, assess your hearing and probably give
you some information about what tinnitus is and how best to manage it.
Some hospitals have hearing therapists or specially trained
audiologists who are available to offer more support if you need it.
Most people find that their tinnitus does seems to settle down after
this initial period, even without doing anything in particular.
However, if Tinnitus is associated with hearing loss than an ENT
specialist will look into the cause of hearing loss to determine whether
further treatment is necessary.
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