Causes of tinnitus

Quite often people experience ringing in the ears. This pathology can be painless, but it entails psychological discomfort, stress, and makes people nervous. In medicine, this phenomenon is defined as tinnitus. But such a disease does not exist. This is just one of the symptoms of another disease, which can be quite serious. Previously, it was believed that such a pathology occurs only in older people. But today, it is obvious that this is far from true. More and more young people, and even children, suffer from this symptom.

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Cause

Conventionally, these are three groups: the consequence of injury, disease, and pathology of the hearing organ.

Unexpected impact of sharp hearing, as well as constant, long-term impact of loud sounds, noises, vibrations, distortion of transmission of sound wave oscillations through the auditory system, penetration of an insect, liquid. Ringing in the ear can be due to the formation of a sulfur plug there. Abuse of nervous system stimulants, alcohol, drugs, energy drinks is dangerous. Gentamicin is dangerous, which has an ototoxic effect, damaging various structures of the ear.

Ringing may be caused by inflammation or swelling of the ear, which occurs as a result of recent illnesses. Through the Eustachian tube, bacterial and viral microflora from the nasopharynx can spread to the ear. Head, ear, facial skull injuries, concussion, age-related changes in the organ of hearing, disturbances in nervous activity and mental regulation, structural and functional anomalies of the organ of hearing are dangerous. Sometimes the cause is malignant and benign neoplasms of the brain, neck. Inflammation, swelling and neoplasms of the auditory nerve occur.

Often ringing occurs with atherosclerosis, narrowing of the vascular lumen, impaired cerebral circulation, pinching, osteochondrosis, spondylosis, and vertebral hernia.

• Ringing in the ear after an explosion

After the explosion, there may be ringing for quite a long time, since the blast wave acts as a powerful damaging factor, damaging the structures of the inner ear and the eardrum. Necessary examination and appropriate therapy. In case of severe damage, surgical intervention will be required.

• Ringing in the ears after shooting

Gunshots can cause tinnitus. When a gunshot is fired, a sharp sound develops that damages the eardrum or causes it to vibrate intensely. They can persist for quite a long time. It is necessary to undergo an examination, check the condition of the brain, eardrum. And only after that can appropriate treatment be prescribed.

• Ringing in the ears after a concussion

After a contusion, tinnitus may occur. Most often, it occurs as a result of damage to various structures of the ear. The auditory nerve, bones, or eardrum may be damaged. Often, this is a consequence of an inflammatory process, spasm, hemorrhage, circulatory disorders, or concussion.

• Ringing in the ears after loud music

Firstly, loud music is a strong vibration wave that is perceived by the vibration structures of the inner ear - the auditory ossicles and the eardrum. Too loud music can damage these structures, causing them to rupture and vibrate incorrectly.

Secondly, the ear can adapt to high sound vibrations and will have difficulty adjusting to the normal perception mode. For some time, the vibration structures of the ear will vibrate in the same tones that corresponded to loud music, resulting in a ringing sensation in the ears.

Usually these sensations go away on their own within 24 hours. If they do not go away for a long time, you need to see a doctor, get examined and find out the reason for this phenomenon. Often, you can get rid of the ringing only by eliminating the cause of its occurrence.

• Ringing in the ears after a concert

After a concert, tinnitus often occurs due to the presence of loud and sharp sounds that transfer the eardrum and other vibration structures of the ear to a different sound tempo. After prolonged exposure of the ear to loud sound, the auditory analyzers have adapted to this frequency. Then it is difficult for the ear to switch to another, normal mode.

The eardrum and the internal auditory ossicles continue to vibrate under the same sound vibration that was present at the concert (since any sound is a sound wave, or vibration, that affects our ear). This is the reason why noise and ringing in the ear often occur.

• Ringing in the ears after sex

Caused by excessive emotionality and excitability, instability of the nervous system, mental overstrain. The sensitivity of nerves increases, including the auditory nerve. It is constantly irritated and transmits an impulse to the corresponding parts of the brain. This ensures a response.

• Ringing in the ears after alcohol

Alcohol has a toxic effect on the ear. The auditory nerve and sound-perceiving components can be damaged. Alcohol has a tonic and stimulating effect on the central nervous system, so inflammation of the nerve is possible.

• Ringing in the ears after ARVI

After an acute respiratory viral infection, noise, ringing and even pain in the ears often appear. This is due to complications in the ear. The nasopharynx and pharynx are affected by an infectious and inflammatory process during the disease. This process can spread to the ear. This happens through the Eustachian tube, which connects the inner ear and nasopharynx. If such sensations appear, you need to contact an otolaryngologist who will conduct an examination and prescribe the necessary treatment.

• Ringing in the ears after flu

Quite often, after a person has recovered from the flu, his ears begin to ring. This is due to the fact that an infection from the nasopharynx and respiratory tract can penetrate into the ear. Such penetration leads to its inflammation and infection, ringing.

• Ringing in the ears after a cold

After a cold, tinnitus often develops. This can be due to many reasons, so if such symptoms appear, you need to see a doctor and undergo an examination. Tinnitus itself does not occur, it can occur as a consequence of another disease or complication. Often, tinnitus appears as a result of infection of the middle or inner ear.

When you have a cold, an infectious process develops, caused mainly by viruses or bacteria. The microflora of the nasopharynx and pharynx is also disrupted. All this leads to the development of an inflammatory process. The nasopharynx and ear are connected by the Eustachian tube, through which inflammation can spread and infection can be transmitted. Once in the ear, the infection affects its various parts, causes spasm, irritation, which leads to the appearance of painful sensations, noise and ringing in the ears.

Often, in order to eliminate tinnitus, it is necessary to cure the underlying disease, after which the noise will go away on its own as a secondary effect. Sometimes special medications may be required to treat and eliminate inflammation and infection directly in the ear. But you need to remember that you cannot treat the ear on your own. You need to see a doctor who will conduct all the necessary tests, assess the condition of the ear and prescribe safe treatment. Complications are dangerous due to the proximity of the eardrum and the vestibular apparatus, which is an important component of the brain.

• Ringing in the ears after a concussion

Concussion may be accompanied by impaired auditory perception, a feeling that something is ringing or moving in the ear. The cause is usually a pathological lesion of the auditory center, which coordinates the work of all components of the auditory system. It may also be associated with impaired cerebral circulation, inflammation of the auditory nerve.

• Ringing in the ears after exercise

It appears due to overfatigue, excessive physical exertion. At the same time, blood pressure increases sharply.

• Ringing in the ear after otitis

Otitis is a disease in which the middle ear becomes inflamed. The disease can be either unilateral or bilateral. The cause of the disease is the spread of the inflammatory process from adjacent areas to the ear, as well as infection in the middle ear. This is accompanied by swelling and hyperemia. Ichor may be released from the ear. This is usually painless, but gradually the inflammatory process intensifies, can cover larger and larger areas of the ear, resulting in pain and other unpleasant sensations. All this is accompanied by ringing and noise in the ears.

If there is discharge in the form of a purulent fluid with blood impurities, this may indicate damage to the eardrum. In this case, the ringing intensifies, becomes constant and painful for the patient, exhausts him, does not allow him to sleep at night. As a result, headaches, dizziness, and migraines develop. In this case, urgent medical care is required, the patient needs surgical intervention. Children are more susceptible to otitis, since their Eustachian tube, which connects the ear and nasopharynx, is much shorter. As a result, the infection from the nasopharynx penetrates the ear and causes inflammation.

• Ringing in the ears with sinusitis

With sinusitis, unpleasant sensations can be associated with the penetration of infection and the development of a purulent, inflammatory, or infectious process. Often, against the background of sinusitis, otitis or tubootitis develops, fluid accumulates, which disrupts the normal functioning of hair cells, and ringing develops, etc.

• Tinnitus in neurosis

Neurosis is often accompanied by ringing, as it promotes the development of inflammatory processes in the nerves. The auditory nerve also becomes inflamed, which contributes to increased susceptibility. Neurosis is accompanied by structural and functional disorders of the nerves, destruction of the reflex arc. If the changes are reversible, therapy can be carried out and the pathology can be eliminated. If the changes are irreversible, the ringing will accompany the person for the rest of his life.

• Tinnitus with VSD

Vegetative-vascular dystonia is accompanied by a violation of vascular tone with frequent and sharp pressure drops, and cerebral circulatory insufficiency. As a result, various organs suffer. The pathology is accompanied by dizziness, vascular spasm, and profuse sweating. Panic, fear, and anxiety may appear.

• Ringing in the ears during menopause

Significant changes occur in a person. The hormonal background and the activity of the nervous system change. Against this background, sensitivity decreases, and the functioning of individual organs and systems is disrupted.

Often, information that comes from outside is processed incorrectly. When information is processed incorrectly, and if the immune system is weakened, various inflammatory processes can develop. ringing in the ears from headphones

Headphones not only transmit and amplify the sound wave. One of the disadvantages of this device is the additional noise and vibrations that occur during operation. Accordingly, hearing becomes less acute, a person does not recognize many sounds. Also, the earphone is inserted directly into the auricle, so a reduction in the path required to propagate the sound wave develops. ringing in the ears and head

Indicates a violation of cerebral circulation, high blood pressure or vascular tone jumps. Also, such a condition is considered quite natural in case of pinched nerves, blood vessels, their blockage.

• Ringing in the ears with osteochondrosis

With osteochondrosis, a person often has ringing in the ears. The cause is probably the pinching of the cervical nerve. Also, there is a violation of blood circulation, the blood flow worsens, hypoxia occurs. Then other similar sensations join in, dizziness develops.

Often, such phenomena are accompanied by the appearance of irritability, nervousness. Sharp mood swings are observed, dizziness appears, which is especially intensified during head movements. Pain in the ears, temples, and back of the head is also noted.

Pain and fatigue in the neck area may develop, spreading to other parts of the spine. Numbness of the cervical region, ear, and temporal region may develop. Along with this, twilight vision deteriorates and ripples appear in the eyes. Memory loss occurs, the person becomes inattentive and absent-minded.

If the cause of tinnitus is osteochondrosis, the patient is prescribed vascular and anti-inflammatory drugs, chondroprotectors and vitamins. Therapeutic gymnastics, breathing exercises, relaxation and meditation practices, as well as physiotherapy, massage, wraps, manual therapy have a positive effect.

• Ringing in the ears with normal pressure

Ringing in the ears can occur with normal pressure. It can be associated with pressure fluctuations, or it may have nothing to do with it. With normal pressure, there can be many other reasons that provoke tinnitus. For example, not arterial pressure, but intracranial pressure may be increased.

There may be a pinched nerve, circulatory problems, an inflammatory process in the inner ear, an allergic reaction or swelling. The list of causes is endless, so the first thing you need to do when such symptoms appear is to see a doctor and undergo the necessary examination. Only after the doctor determines the cause of the tinnitus and the underlying disease that provokes it, can the necessary treatment be prescribed.

• Ringing in the ears with high pressure

Increased pressure causes structural and functional changes in small blood vessels. The vessels of the brain and the vestibular apparatus, which is located in the inner ear, change especially strongly.

High blood pressure is also accompanied by a spasm of the brain vessels, which affects the internal organs, including the ear and eardrum. The vessels lose elasticity, and the blood supply to the tissues is disrupted. Hypoxia is also felt, which is accompanied by a lack of oxygen, an excessive amount of carbon dioxide, which has a toxic effect on the body. All this leads to dizziness, loss of coordination and balance, tinnitus, and ringing. Intracranial pressure can also increase significantly, which intensifies the ringing.

Pressure can be controlled with the help of pharmaceutical preparations that normalize blood circulation and eliminate vascular spasm. If necessary, drugs aimed at reducing the level of cholesterol in the blood are prescribed.

• Ringing in the ears with low pressure

Low pressure can be accompanied by pain, noise, buzzing, and other sensations in the ears. Often it occurs against the background of nausea, weakness, dizziness, fog before the eyes, blurry silhouettes. General weakness and lethargy, apathy, drowsiness can develop.

All this occurs due to lack of oxygen, hypoxia develops. Blood vessels and the brain suffer from this.

• Ringing in the ears after sleep

After sleep, tinnitus may occur due to decreased pressure or insufficient activity of the auditory hairs, which have not yet had time to activate after rest. Usually, auditory hairs are responsible for normal sound perception, which perceive the sound wave and process it in a certain way. With various pathologies, unusual functional states and developmental anomalies, with other diseases, uncontrolled, increased vibration of auditory hairs may occur, which leads to the sensation of ringing and noise in the ears.

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Pathogenesis

The pathogenesis is based on the disruption of the normal functioning of the eardrum and the auditory structures of the inner ear. The eardrum is located inside the ear and divides it into the inner and middle. It is a sound-perceiving and sound-transforming organ that perceives the sound vibration wave and transmits it to subsequent structures. Three auditory ossicles adjoin the eardrum on the inner side. The eardrum transmits the vibration wave to these structures.

From the ossicles, the wave is transmitted further - to the cochlea, which is a structure of the inner ear filled with liquid. The movement of the liquid causes the hair cells that line the inside of the cochlea to vibrate. Here, the sound wave is converted into nerve impulses, which are transmitted along nerve fibers to the brain. There, the received signal is processed and transformed into an appropriate response.

If the hair structures or other elements of the inner ear are damaged, various hearing disorders occur, such as ringing in the ears, hearing loss, noise, hum. Diseases may occur in which the hair cells are constantly moving. This leads to the fact that the sound signal is constantly sent to the brain, even when a person is in complete silence.

Ringing can also occur when the transmission of sound impulses along the nerve pathways to the brain is disrupted. For example, inflammation of the auditory nerve, its swelling, or a neoplasm on the nerve can develop. Any of the structures of the sound-processing system of the ear can be damaged, including the cochlea, auditory ossicles, and eardrum. Ringing can also be caused by inflammation of the Eustachian tube, which occurs as a result of an infectious, inflammatory process, inflammation of the nearby facial and jaw bones.

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