What causes tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a relatively common ear disease. Patients will feel that there are sounds in their ears or brains. Tinnitus is a pathological manifestation of some diseases and is also the primary symptom of certain diseases. So what causes tinnitus?

Cause of tinnitus 1: infection and trauma

If you suffer from otitis media, or your ear is infected, or there is trauma to your ear, you may experience secondary tinnitus. There are two types of tinnitus: pure tone tinnitus and mid-to-high frequency tinnitus. Tinnitus can be divided into intermittent and continuous. It may be pulsatile when people have an acute ear infection.

Symptoms: The patient will have obvious hearing loss and ear occlusion, and if there is ear trauma, it may also be accompanied by dizziness.

Cause of tinnitus 2: Acoustic neuroma

Patients with acoustic neuroma usually experience symptoms of tinnitus, which may be persistent, progressive, unilateral or bilateral. They may also experience hearing loss, dizziness, etc. This type of acoustic neuroma is a tumor that affects the cerebellopontine angle and has peripheral or central effects on the cochlear and vestibular system.

Symptoms: The precursor is hearing loss, and if symptoms such as tinnitus, dizziness, and ear blockage persist for more than 1 hour, you should go to the hospital for diagnosis.

Cause 3 of tinnitus: noise impact

Explosive sounds and long-term exposure to noise can lead to hearing loss and tinnitus. High-risk groups (those working in high-intensity noise environments) should pay attention to noise protection. Such as reducing noise sources or wearing protective earmuffs, earplugs, etc. In addition, be careful not to use your headphones for a long time or at a high volume in a noisy environment.

Cause 4 of tinnitus: Mental stress and fatigue

When people are under high mental stress or physical fatigue for a long time, tinnitus is likely to worsen or symptoms of intermittent tinnitus may occur. Therefore, it is beneficial to adjust the work rhythm appropriately, relax the emotions of tinnitus patients, and divert attention from tinnitus.

Cause of tinnitus 5: Bad habits

Improper diet can also cause tinnitus. For example, regular intake of caffeine and alcohol can aggravate tinnitus symptoms. For example, smoking will reduce blood oxygen, and when there is a lack of oxygen, it will damage the inner hair cells and cause ear diseases.

Cause 6 of Tinnitus: Autoimmune Diseases and Allergies in the Ear

Diseases such as auricular perichondritis, relapsing polychondritis, tympanosclerosis, autoimmune eustachianitis, secretory otitis media, otosclerosis, cholesteatoma, autoimmune sensorineural hearing loss, Meniere's disease, and sudden deafness may cause tinnitus, and patients with these diseases should be vigilant.