What are the causes of unilateral tinnitus?

Tinnitus, as the name suggests, is a buzzing sound in the ears, which can seriously affect the patient's normal life. In clinical practice, tinnitus is often a symptom of many diseases, and is also the first symptom of some diseases. So what are the causes of unilateral tinnitus?

Causes of tinnitus

(I) Acoustic neuroma

Tinnitus is an early symptom of the VIII cranial nerve tumor. Unilateral tinnitus progresses to unilateral sensorineural hearing loss and vertigo. Facial palsy, headache, nausea, vomiting, and optic disc edema may also occur.

(ii) Anemia

Severe anemia may produce mild, reversible tinnitus. Other clinical findings include pallor, weakness, fatigue, dyspnea on exertion, tachycardia, watery pulse, gallop rhythm, and a systolic murmur of the carotid artery.

(III) Carotid atherosclerosis

Patients with this disease often experience tinnitus, which can be stopped by applying pressure to the carotid artery. Auscultation of the upper neck, above the pinna, or near the affected ear may reveal a bruit, and palpation may reveal a weak carotid pulse.

(IV) Cervical spondylosis

In this degenerative disease, the growth of extraneous bone spurs may compress the vertebral arteries, causing tinnitus. Neck stiffness and pain accompanied by tinnitus are typical manifestations. Other features include transient vertigo, nystagmus, hearing loss, numbness, weakness, and a positive head pressure test.

(V) External auditory canal obstruction

When ear wax or foreign matter blocks the ear canal. Patients may experience tinnitus, conductive hearing loss, itching, a feeling of fullness in the ear canal, and pain.

6. Open Eustachian tube

Normally, the Eustachian tube remains closed except when swallowing. Can persistent opening of the Eustachian tube cause tinnitus and hearing abnormalities? Patients report audible breathing sounds, loud, distorted voices, and a feeling of fullness in the ears. Use a pneumatic otoscope to examine the movement of the tympanic membrane in relation to respiration. Sometimes, breathing sounds can be heard using a stethoscope placed over the ear.