Ear Ringing Constantly: An Overview

Tinnitus is becoming a common ear malady due to the increasing susceptibility of people to factors that bring about the problem. It accompanies hearing loss in most cases, as most cases are due to exposure to loud noise. Experts, however, point that lots of cases of this ear problem are due to poor lifestyle. Ear ringing constantly is attributed to tinnitus, being the usual symptom that characterize the disorder, though ear specialists would confirm that tinnitus may be in form of other ear or head noises such as buzzing, hissing, or humming noises, which can be annoying at times.

There are two types of tinnitus: objective tinnitus and subjective tinnitus. The first one is the rare form and occurs in about 3% of all the cases. It is also called pulsatile tinnitus because it is often heard as pulsing, thumping noise that sometimes accompanies heartbeat or breathing. The sound is rhythmic. This one may be heard by another person by leaning forward near the patient’s ears or by a doctor using his stethoscope. The other type is subjective tinnitus, occurring in the rest majority of the cases, and is a type which can only be heard by the affected himself.

Ear ringing constantly is caused by so many factors. The first is excessive noise exposure. Loud noise has been blamed to many cases of sensorineural hearing loss. This kind of deafness occurs as a result of cochlear trauma due to continual exposure to loud noises – vehicle horns, engines, lawnmowers, factory noise, loud speakers etc. Another cause is earwax build-up causing obstructive hearing loss and tinnitus.

Ear infections may cause fluid and pressure build-up in the middle ear causing damage which may lead to ringing symptoms. Some prescription and non-prescription medicines also cause ringing in the ears. These drugs are termed ototoxic and include aspirin, ibuprofen, antibiotics, antihistamines and chemotherapy drugs. Ringing ears is also a malady of the elderly due to the natural wear and tear process. Head trauma is another disorder that gives rise to tinnitus occasionally. Vascular problems like atherosclerosis, anemia, hypotension and hypertension may cause pulsatile tinnitus. Stress is also accompanied with tinnitus in a process that seems like a loop as stress causes or worsens tinnitus and tinnitus causes stress, too.

There are many treatments available for tinnitus. One is wearing ear maskers – devices that produce white noise that covers ear noise. During the onset of the problem, patients are given anti-anxiety drugs and antidepressants to help them cope with their condition. Relaxation techniques, tinnitus retraining therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, cochlear implants, and in rare cases surgery are treatment options.

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