Can neurological tinnitus be cured? 4 major therapies to help you get rid of your troubles

Neurological tinnitus is a common experience among patients. It is the abnormal sound felt by the patient in the psychological and mental state, generally there are cicada sounds, buzzing, hissing sounds in the ear, etc., which constantly interfere with the patient's ears. Can neurological tinnitus be cured?

1. Sensorineural tinnitus

It is the most common neurological tinnitus. Common causes include presbycusis, ototoxic drug-induced hearing loss, noise-induced hearing loss, Meniere's disease, delayed hydrops muscularis, etc. In addition, it can also be seen in diseases such as perilymphatic fistula, inner ear infection, and otosclerosis.

2. Peripheral nerve tinnitus

The cause of the disease is unknown, but it may be related to the degeneration of nerve fibers causing cross-fiber transmission or slower nerve fiber transmission. The distortion of the static state of the auditory nerve fibers during emission slows down the transmission of specific nerve fibers, which can cause abnormal firing patterns of the nerve fibers to the brain, resulting in tinnitus.

3. Central nervous system tinnitus

It often occurs in ears with existing or potential peripheral hearing dysfunction, such as tinnitus after labyrinth or auditory nerve surgery. Tinnitus may also occur due to stress as a precipitating or exacerbating factor. Tumors, vascular abnormalities, local inflammation, multiple sclerosis, etc. that invade the auditory pathways can all cause tinnitus.

The nature of tinnitus varies greatly and is often accompanied by hearing loss. The severity and incidence of tinnitus are significantly related to hearing loss. The more severe the sensorineural hearing loss, the more likely it is to develop tinnitus. The loudness of tinnitus also increases as hearing loss worsens. However, tinnitus can also occur in people with normal hearing. Moreover, about one-third of people with moderate and severe hearing loss do not experience tinnitus, which remains unexplained.

Tinnitus often appears as white noise. When tinnitus occurs at the same time as a cerebrovascular disease attack, if there is no hearing impairment, it is mostly central nervous system tinnitus. In addition, when the patient complains that the tinnitus is inside the head, it may be central, but it may also be bilateral cochlear tinnitus where the location of the tinnitus cannot be described.

1. Medication

Vasodilator and neurotrophic drugs, antianxiety drugs, antidepressants, carbamazepine-type anticonvulsant drugs, lidocaine and tranquilizers, etc.

2. Masking treatment

Masking therapy uses a masker to generate a masking signal with a frequency close to the patient's tinnitus sound to mask and suppress the tinnitus. When the masking sound is removed, the tinnitus is reduced or disappears, which is called "aftereffect suppression." Long-term persistence can gradually extend the intervals between tinnitus attacks, shorten the duration of attacks, or even eliminate them.

3. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen is a new treatment for tinnitus. The principle is to increase blood oxygen content, improve hypoxic damage to auditory receptors, and promote the recovery of cochlear and auditory nerve functions. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not suitable for people with obstructed Eustachian tube.

4. Psychological treatment

Reducing anxiety, relaxing and getting enough rest can help improve tinnitus.