3 Surprising Facts About Tinnitus
- Posted on: Feb 28 2023
As common as tinnitus is, there is no definitive cause, and a permanent cure has yet to be discovered. Although tinnitus is usually harmless and often goes away on its own, some surprising facts about the condition may indicate other health issues.
Tinnitus is often thought of as a constant high-frequency ringing or buzzing in the ear. Although this is true in most cases, it only accounts for one type of tinnitus, non-pulsatile. Interestingly, the sounds associated with this type of tinnitus are not actual sounds that can be heard but rather the brain attempting to fill in voids in the sensory information sent by the ears.
Pulsatile tinnitus, on the other hand, is caused by the movement of blood in the vessels around the ear structures. This noise cannot be heard outside of the ear, but the sensitive ear structures may pick up the sound of the heartbeat or pulse in the ear.
In some cases, an increase in the perceived sounds from tinnitus can indicate the beginning or continuation of hearing loss. Especially in non-pulsatile tinnitus, disorders of the primary nerves that send sound information to the brain do not create signals of pain but instead fill in the voids of information with perceived sounds.
Since tinnitus may indicate disorders in the structures or nerve pathways of your sense of hearing, it is best to get a thorough exam whenever there is a rapid onset or disappearance of tinnitus or if it occurs in one ear or the other. Some conditions that can be discovered with these exams are only successfully treated with early diagnoses.
Don’t want and hope your tinnitus will disappear on its own. While this is likely, a comprehensive exam by the staff at the ENT And Allergy Centers of Texas in the North Plano, TX, area can ensure there are no other underlying or severe concerns. Call the office at 972-984-1050 or visit www.enttx.com to schedule your comprehensive exam today.
Posted in: Tinnitus
