Why do I have tinnitus and how can this be treated?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am 21 and suffering from tinnitus from last four months. The sound in the ears is not constant. It is changing. Sometimes, it is loud enough that I can hear it even in a crowded place and sometimes so low I cannot detect in a normal environment and the most important of all with a loud noise like train horn it is taking a peak and when the sound goes off it comes back to normal. My doctor told me this is due to cold and prescribed some antibiotics. But it did not work. So he told me to visit an ENT specialist. After visiting an ENT specialist, he told me my ears are fine but I should do an audiogram. And also given me some antibiotics. There was no hearing loss in the audiogram. And the medicines also did not work. Then I again visited the doctor. This time he told me there is nothing to worry about and sent me back home. What I want to ask is, if there are any other tests that could detect why this is happening and how this could be treated?

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

You have been suffering from fluctuating tinnitus for four months, as you have said. Tinnitus (ringing sensation in the ear) may be due to problems of the ear or problems not related to the ear. Ear problems causing tinnitus are generally associated with hearing loss. But that is ruled out in your case, as your audiogram is normal. Some investigations need to be carried out: 1. Complete blood count. 2. Lipid profile. 3. Serum TSH. 4. To rule out any vascular lesion in the ear (though rare), I would suggest an MR angiography of the head-neck vessels. Ear causes (unlikely in your case, as the audiogram is normal): sensorineural hearing loss due to any cause, otosclerosis, or Meniere’s disease. Non-ear causes: anemia, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and vascular lesions of the head and neck. Very rarely, some lesions of the blood vessels in the ear may cause tinnitus. In many cases, a definite cause of the tinnitus cannot be found. I would suggest you go for the investigations as suggested. If no cause is found, you should go for tinnitus retraining therapy. An audiologist may help. Avoid loud sounds, and have a diet comprising of green vegetables and fruits containing beta-carotene (mango, papaya, etc.).