Tinnitus - possible causes, medications and treatment

Tinnitus is a rather subjective sensation that everyone feels differently. It seems to one person that something is hissing in his ears, to another he beeps, to the third he rings, buzzes, or grinds. However, such noise should not be confused with the physiological noise that even a completely healthy person periodically hears. Such noise arises in conditions of absolute external silence due to the flow of blood in small vessels.

Causes of noise in the head and ears

If extraneous noise appeared after a one-time high sound load (for example, a rock concert), then you should not sound the alarm. This is due to overwork of the hearing aid. Henceforth, try not to expose your hearing to such a load.

Therefore, if this symptom is detected, you should consult a doctor. Noise often accompanies hearing loss, so delay can lead to deafness.

Causes of noise in the head and ears can also be diseases of the heart and blood vessels, malfunctions of the endocrine system, problems with the cervical vertebrae. Such diseases are characteristic of the elderly, so many people over 40 complain of periodic or constant sound sensations in the ears.

Obstruction of the ear canal is accompanied not only by an obsessive hum, but also by congestion, pain and temporary hearing loss.Small insects, foreign bodies, water, dust and dirt can get there. Sometimes the reason can be quite commonplace - sulfur plug. It is formed due to too narrow aisle, non-compliance with hygiene rules or excessive production of sulfur.

Discomfort in both ears

If a person constantly hears extraneous sounds in both ears, this causes him many problems. Such an unpleasant condition leads to irritability, distraction, depression and decreased attention. A person becomes nervous, quick-tempered, can not fully work, sleep and rest.

Bilateral noises are often one of the first symptoms of impending deafness in the elderly. In addition, in men this probability is much higher, since they are more prone to various injuries.

Noise in the right or left ear

Extraneous noise in the left ear or right is not a disease, but just one of its symptoms. Sometimes this sensation occurs due to inflammation of the auditory nerve or poisoning. Very rarely, this can be an adverse reaction to taking any medication. Stresses, nervous strain, brain injuries once received - all this can provoke the appearance of a hum in one ear.

The list of possible diseases is quite extensive:

• otitis;
• meningioma;
• atherosclerosis of the brain;
• carotid artery aneurysm;
• oncology;
• anemia;
• high pressure;
• arterial valve insufficiency.

If a child reacts to a rumble in the ears, he must be taken to a doctor so that he examines the auricle and passage. It often happens that during the game, small children shove small objects there - beads, balls, seeds from berries or fruits.

Symptoms of the manifestation of diseases

The origin of the diseases of the outer ear is different, but most of them are always accompanied by pain and noise:

• Otitis externa. It occurs due to infection with streptococci or staphylococci. Symptoms - severe pain, redness, pus.
• Mycosis. Appears in people with reduced immunity as a result of penetration of a fungal infection into the ear. Patients suffer from secretions of milky white color, moreover, they often lay their ears.
• Exostosis. It is rare. Patients are only worried about the noise that appears due to excessive proliferation of bone tissue in the passage.
• Furuncle. If you do not consult a doctor in time, the abscess can cause serious infection of the body.

Among the diseases of the auditory apparatus, lesions of the middle ear occupy a leading position. The fact is that the middle ear has a message with the oral cavity, which contributes to the rapid spread of infection.

Such diseases can be accompanied by noise:

• Acute and chronic otitis media. In the first case, the main symptoms are pulsating noise in the ear, shooting pains and fever. In the second case, noise often accompanies the patient during the period of remission.
• Mastoiditis. Inflammation of the mastoid process causes severe intoxication, noise and pain in the ear, fever.
• Meringitis and eustachitis. Often combined with otitis media.
• Tympanosclerosis. Due to the gradual scarring of the eardrum, the patient complains of noise and hearing loss. There is no pain.

Diseases of the inner ear are very difficult to treat. In most cases, the patient suffers from less or more pronounced tinnitus for the rest of his life.

The most common diseases:

• Otosclerosis. Bone tissue grows and squeezes the complex mechanisms of the auditory apparatus.The main symptoms are noise and rapid hearing loss. Often inherited.
• Labyrinthitis Often a complication of acute otitis media. Patients complain of dizziness, nausea, and impaired coordination.
• Contusion of the maze. It occurs due to a sharp pressure drop. It is accompanied by short-term hearing loss, noise, nausea and pain.

Separately, it is necessary to mention the pathologies of the auditory nerve. These are hearing loss, cancer and neurosyphilis.

Decoding various tinnitus

The noise can be of a different nature.

Depending on the strength of sensations, noise is divided into 4 categories:

• first - the noise is barely perceptible, does not interfere with sleep and does not irritate;
• the second - extraneous sounds interfere with sleep and cause a lot of inconvenience;
• third - the hum is so strong that a person loses sleep, becomes nervous and restless;
• fourth, constant sound sensations interfere with normal life and work so much that it is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

In medicine, they distinguish monotonous (buzzing, whistling, hissing) and complex noise (voices, melodies or stomping bells). If a person hears complex sounds, this may be a hallucination or a sign of mental illness. In rare cases, this may be the result of side effects of drugs.

Noise is divided into objective and subjective. In the first case, the doctor can hear the hum with the help of special devices. In the second - only the patient hears the noise.

The main diseases manifested by noise, ringing in the ears and dizziness, and their causes

Of the diseases that are accompanied by tinnitus, the following should be mentioned:

• Meniere's disease. Due to impaired blood flow in small arteries, fluid pressure rises. Along with noise in the ear, the patient complains of nausea, dizziness, loss of a sense of balance. Most often, this disease develops between the ages of 30 and 40 years.
• High blood pressure. In medicine, this noise is called hypertonic. It is accompanied by an acceleration of the pulse, dizziness and pain in the region of the heart.
• Multiple sclerosis. Symptoms of this dangerous disease of the nervous system are tinnitus, impaired coordination, dizziness, and urinary incontinence.
• Cervical osteochondrosis. Deformation of the spine leads to the fact that the patient complains of tinnitus, which over time can develop into partial or complete deafness.

In old age, a rumble in the ears can be a symptom of atherosclerosis. This age-related disease occurs due to blockage of blood vessels by plaques.

What kind of examinations is advisable?

First you need to visit Laura and tell your complaints. The doctor will check the ear with the help of instruments for the presence of foreign bodies, sulfur plugs. If the examination does not clarify the picture of the disease, the patient is prescribed computed and magnetic resonance imaging, which makes it possible to detect tumors of the auditory nerve. Audiometry helps assess hearing acuity and find out the rate of decline.

To confirm the noise, auscultation with a phonendoscope is also required. Having heard extraneous sounds, the doctor can make a diagnosis. If the noise is subjective, then the specialist can only ask the patient in detail about the nature of the sound.

In some cases, the ENT may refer the patient for a consultation with a neurologist or psychiatrist.

How to get rid of tinnitus - treatment

The treatment strategy depends on the location, degree of neglect of the disease and the causes of its occurrence.

In any case, in addition to the treatment prescribed by the specialist, you need to try to help yourself on your own:

• avoid strong sounds and sudden changes in pressure;
• more often listen to calm music, the sound of water, the sounds of nature;
• carefully study the side effects of medications taken and exclude suspicious drugs;
• go to the dentist;
• establish a diet, excluding alcohol, salty foods, energy drinks.

You need to be careful about your hearing, carefully observing all the doctor's recommendations.

Drug treatment

Drug therapy includes the use of antihistamines, anticonvulsants, and vasoconstrictors, depending on the specific problem.

Such drugs will help to remove the noise of vascular origin: Antisten, Vazobral, Kapilar, Neuromedin, Cerebrolysin.

Only a doctor can prescribe drugs and pills for tinnitus, since it is impossible to predict the effectiveness of treatment on their own.

Treatment with special devices

Such treatment is not cheap, but gives good results. Hardware methods for controlling noise include the use of noise markers, hearing aids, and external electrical stimulation.

A treatment method called hyperbaric oxygenation involves the use of oxygen for therapeutic purposes under high pressure. The patient is placed in a special high-pressure chamber. Give masks with oxygen. Due to this, damaged cells of the inner ear are restored.

If the noise cannot be removed in any way, special audio stimulators may be prescribed to the patient. They help to distract attention from annoying sounds and gradually forget about them. The patient listens to a developed selection of sounds that mask his own noises and then even contribute to their disappearance.

Pneumatic massage as a method of treating tinnitus

This method is quite effective in Meniere's disease. It eliminates subjective noise, dizziness and nasal congestion. It is also successfully used for otitis media. It increases the elasticity of the eardrum and promotes a better movement of blood to the structures of the middle ear.

Traditional treatment

Folk remedies can be used only in the case of an accurately established diagnosis.

Best of all, these methods help in the initial stages:

• Ammonia. On 1 tbsp. boiled water take 1 tbsp. l ammonia, moisten a napkin in the solution and attach to the forehead. The duration of the procedure is 45 minutes, the course is 6 days.
• Kalina and honey. Rub a small amount of berries with honey, wrap in a piece of gauze and insert into a sore ear. Hold all night. The duration of treatment is 2-3 weeks.
• Melissa. On 1 tbsp. l dried raw materials take 3 tbsp. l vodka, insist in a dark place, strain. In each ear, instill 3 drops of a slightly warmed medicine. Insert cotton swabs and wrap your head in a warm scarf.
• Onion with caraway seeds. Stuff a small onion with caraway seeds and bake in the oven. Give the juice and drip 2 drops twice a day. In a couple of days, the noise will pass, but you need to continue the procedure for some more time to fix the result.
• Potatoes. Cut small pieces from potatoes and dip them in honey. Put in ears, wrap your head in a warm scarf.

Before using traditional methods, you need to consult a specialist, otherwise you can aggravate the situation.

Sulfur plug removal

To dissolve the sulfuric cork, you can purchase special preparations or prepare their simplified versions at home yourself. At home, it is advised to instill 2 drops of hydrogen peroxide in each ear, and after 10 minutes, wash the remaining sulfur with a strong pressure of salt water drawn into a syringe. Instead of peroxide, you can use a soda solution - at ¼ st. water 0.25 tsp soda.

If you are afraid to remove the cork yourself, it is better to go to the ENT. The specialist will wash the ear canal in a couple of minutes, and the noise will disappear.

Knowing how to get rid of tinnitus, you can improve the quality of your own life, and prevent the development of complications in time.