What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus

What is tinnitus?

If you have tinnitus, you hear ringing or another sound in your ears most of the time.

Usually, you hear the sounds in both ears. These sounds don't come from the outside. And they don't come from inside your body (the sounds aren't from your heartbeat, for example).

For many people, there isn't an obvious cause of their tinnitus. But sometimes doctors can find a cause. Some things that can cause tinnitus are:

Source:
National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders.
The noise in your ears: facts about tinnitus.
February 2002. Available at http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/noiseinear.asp (accessed on 13 August 2009).

Loud machinery can cause tinnitus.

Hearing loss. If you've lost some of your hearing, this can cause tinnitus
Too much loud noise over a long period. This could be from things like loud music or machinery. You can also get tinnitus after a loud explosion
Some medicines. Some aspirin-type drugs,

antibiotics
These medications are used to help your immune system fight infection. There are a number of different types of antibiotics that work in different ways to get rid of bacteria, parasites and other infectious agents. Antibiotics do not work against viruses.

antibiotics,

diuretics
Diuretics are a type of medicine that reduce the amount of fluid in your body. The extra fluid is removed in your urine.

diuretics and drugs for cancer can cause tinnitus
Meniere's disease. This condition can cause tinnitus, as well as dizziness and hearing loss.

People who are depressed sometimes have tinnitus. But we don't know if the depression causes tinnitus, or if tinnitus makes people depressed.

Source:
Sullivan MD, Katon W, Dobie R, et al.
Disabling tinnitus: association with affective disorder.
General Hospital Psychiatry. 1988; 10: 285-291.

It's possible for tinnitus to be caused by a growth (a tumor) near the nerve that runs from your ear to your brain.

¹ This type of tumor is called an acoustic neuroma. It's very rare. An acoustic neuroma can be serious, but it's a benign type of tumor. That means it isn't cancer, and can't spread to other parts of your body.

Sources for the information on this page:

National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders.The noise in your ears: facts about tinnitus.February 2002. Available at http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/noiseinear.asp (accessed on 13 August 2009).

Sullivan MD, Katon W, Dobie R, et al.Disabling tinnitus: association with affective disorder.General Hospital Psychiatry. 1988; 10: 285-291.

This information was last updated on Oct 14, 2009

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
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