The Whole Tinnitus Story

Most people are not aware that the correct term for a ringing in the ears is tinnitus which can be pronounced either as tin-night-is or tin-nit-is. Tinnitus is also called "ear ringing," others will describe it as soft buzzing sounds, humming bird noises, rushing noises like water, hissing, and or tapping like sounds. Not all people will describe their tinnitus noises equally - some hear screaming jet engines and others a gentle purr.

Tinnitus is a condition, not a disease. Tinnitus is a manifestation caused from medical conditions that can include (but is not limited to) such conditions as a build up of fuid, middle ear infection, a burst eardrum; or conditions and diseases like meniere's disease. Many over the counter drugs and medications can cause tinnitus.

Tinnitus can occur in any of the four sections of the ear: the outer ear, middle ear, inner ear, and the brain. In addition to the noises associated with tinnitus, people often have a feeling of fullness in the ears.

Experts agree that damage to the delicate microscopic inner ear nerve endings is responsible for the majority of all tinnitus cases. We have literally millions of these auditory nerve cells in the inner ear that are charged electrically. Minute hairs cover the surface of each auditory nerve cell. As sound waves reach these hairs they move much like a field of wheat moves in the wind. It is this movement that triggers elecrical impulses through the auditory nerve cells. The electrical discharge is then interpreted as sound by your brain.

When the cilia (those tiny hairs) become damaged or bent, they cannot operate properly and random movement occurs. Random electric impulses are sent off to the brain, which your brain figures out to be a sound.

While advanced age is a factor for a certain amount of hearing nerve impairment most people get tinnitus as a result of noise exposure. If you suffer from raised cholesterol levels or those of us who are consistently exposed to noisy surroundings are at greater risk for developing tinnitus.

Tinnitus sufferers report different sound types, a tonal and a pulsatile sound. Tonal tinnitus is the "ringing in the ears" type and produces a continuous sound, like a single note playing over and over. Pulsatile tinnitus is associated with high cholesterol and the head noises pulsate in time to the beating of the heart.

While tinnitus is typically not a serious condition, hearing loss is and is permanent. It is a little known fact that better than 90% of all people who have tinnitus also have hearing loss from cochlear damage. Therefore, hearing tests are essential before a proper diagnosis of tinnitus may be determined. People who have tinnitus are afraid that they will become deaf, but tinnitus does not cause people to become deaf.