What causes tinnitus? What are the seven major conditions that cause tinnitus?

The ear is the human's auditory organ. Many people fear a world without hearing, so many people become anxious when their ears are sick. Ear diseases usually cause tinnitus and deafness. Why does tinnitus occur and what should you do if you have it?

What causes tinnitus?

1. Mainly ear diseases

Such as external ear diseases: external otitis, cerumen embolism, foreign body in the external ear, acute and chronic inflammation of the middle ear, tympanic membrane perforation, otosclerosis and Meniere's syndrome and acoustic neuroma of the inner ear can all cause tinnitus.

Second, vascular diseases can also cause tinnitus

Such as jugular glomus tumor, dilatation of small blood vessels in the ear, vascular malformations, hemangiomas, etc. The tinnitus coming from the veins is mostly noisy, while the tinnitus coming from the arteries is consistent with the pulsation of the pulse.

3. Various diseases can cause tinnitus

Tinnitus can occur because of almost any cause of ear disease, but its relationship with hearing is complex. Tinnitus may be caused by just a small piece of wax touching the eardrum, but it may also be caused by a tumor located on the auditory nerve. Other causes such as otosclerosis (a disease that occurs in the ossicles of the middle ear), ototoxic drug poisoning, noise, etc. can all cause tinnitus to varying degrees. The manifestations of tinnitus vary. Some people have unilateral tinnitus, while others have bilateral tinnitus. Some occur intermittently, while others occur continuously. In mild cases, tinnitus is only felt in quiet times, while in severe cases, the person feels noisy and uneasy even in a busy city.

4. Causes of noise

People have a common experience that if they suddenly hear the sound of firecrackers, there will be a long echo in the ears, which will take half a day to subside. This is because the external noise temporarily damages the auditory nerve. Those who work in a noisy environment for a long time, such as tractor and car drivers, traffic police, armed police, soldiers, discotheque staff, mahjong players, people who attend long meetings, and operators of various equipment, are all victims of noise. Long-term noise stimulation often causes damage to the inner ear nerves. Noise-induced tinnitus is mainly manifested as a disorder of the spontaneous activity of auditory nerve fibers. Generally speaking, noise that exceeds the safety noise standard (85-90 decibels) may cause tinnitus and deafness. However, there are individual differences in sensitivity to noise of the same intensity, and only those who are sensitive will be harmed or suffer the most serious degree of harm.

5. Some other systemic diseases can also cause tinnitus

Such as autonomic nervous system disorders, lack of blood supply to the brain, pre-stroke, hypertension, hypotension, anemia, diabetes, malnutrition, the incidence of tinnitus in people over 60 years old is as high as 30%. The main reason is the degeneration of the auditory nervous system as people age.

6. Excessive use of drugs that are toxic to the ear

Drugs such as gentamicin, streptomycin or kanamycin can also cause tinnitus and hearing loss, and tinnitus appears earlier than hearing loss.

7. Excessive fatigue, lack of sleep, and excessive tension can also cause tinnitus

Meniere's disease is a disease in which the dense lamellar bone of the bony labyrinth is focally replaced by spongy new bone that is rich in cells and blood vessels. Causes of head trauma, muscle spasm, systemic diseases such as anemia, hypertension, diabetes, hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, autoimmune diseases, vasospastic diseases, etc. may be accompanied by tinnitus. There is also tinnitus with unknown causes, accounting for about 40% of the people with tinnitus. Tinnitus is caused by impaired or changed cell membrane permeability of hair cells inside and outside the cochlea, metabolic disorders of hair cell synapses, or short circuits between auditory nerve fibers.

What to do about tinnitus

1. Noise prevention in daily life

If the elderly are exposed to various noises such as the roar of machines, the hustle and bustle of workshops, and the noise of people for a long time, the tiny blood vessels in the inner ear will often be in spasm, the blood supply to the inner ear will be reduced, the hearing will deteriorate sharply, and even noise-induced deafness will be caused. Therefore, avoiding or reducing noise interference as much as possible is the first priority for the elderly to protect their hearing.

2. Extinguish anger and keep calm

If the elderly are often in a state of impatience and anger, it will cause the autonomic nervous system in the body to lose its normal regulatory function, causing ischemia, edema and hearing impairment in the inner ear organs, which can easily lead to a sharp decrease in hearing or sudden deafness. Therefore, the elderly should try their best to keep themselves relaxed and happy.

3. Massage hearing-aid acupoints regularly

Massaging the Chufeng point (the depression between the earlobe and the high bone behind the ear) and the Tinghui point (the depression at the posterior edge of the mandibular articular process, below and in front of the tragus) in front of and behind the earlobe can increase blood circulation in the inner ear and protect hearing. It is advisable to massage once in the morning and evening every day, each time for 5 to 10 minutes. You will see results if you persist for a long time.

4. Avoid digging your ears and avoid external factors

Frequent use of ear spoons or matchsticks to pick your ears can easily injure the ear canal, cause infection and inflammation, and may even damage the eardrum. When the ear canal is extremely itchy, you can use a cotton swab dipped in a little alcohol or glycerin to gently wipe the ear canal. You can also take vitamins B, C and cod liver oil orally.

5. Be careful when choosing ototoxic drugs

The use of ototoxic drugs, such as gentamicin, streptomycin, kanamycin, neomycin, etc., should be avoided as much as possible, because the detoxification and excretion functions of the elderly are reduced, and the use of these drugs can easily cause ear poisoning and damage hearing.

6. Health care is to nourish the kidneys

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the kidney opens up to the ear, and hearing loss is closely related to kidney deficiency. Therefore, the elderly should take more kidney-tonifying medicines, such as Liuwei Dihuang Pills, Jinkui Shenqi Pills, Guiling Pills, as well as walnut porridge, sesame porridge, peanut porridge, pig kidney porridge, etc. These medicines and foods are very beneficial for protecting hearing.

Summary: After reading this article, I believe everyone has a certain understanding of tinnitus. In fact, tinnitus has a great impact on our lives. It not only affects our physical health, but also causes us psychological pressure and makes us lack of confidence, so we must pay attention to it quickly!