- What Is 'Ringing In Ears' And How Do ENT Doctors Deal With It?
- How Should You Describe Your Hearing Problem to The ENT Doctor at Vadodara?
- What Causes Tinnitus/Ringing In Ears?
- How Do We, The ENT Specialists At Vadodara, Diagnose Ringing In The Ear?
- What Are The Different Kinds Of Tinnitus?
- What Kind Of Treatment Is Provided For Ringing In The Ears?
- What Is The Impact of Tinnitus on Various Individuals?
- What Is The Way Forward If You Have Tinnitus?
“A husband is really listening when he understands every word his wife isn’t speaking”.
How true! For a husband-wife relationship, this is a good thing but if you really start hearing the unsaid things/noise then it’s an indication of an underlying problem.
According to us, if you ever experience ringing, buzzing, whooping, hissing, and whistling sounds in your ears that might not be audible to others then it signals the underlying condition of ‘Tinnitus’. Tinnitus is often referred to as ‘ringing in ears’ in layman’s terms.
Many people all across the globe face this problem. Some people express it whereas others don’t. So don’t feel alarmed if you are experiencing the symptoms.
Many people either shy away from consulting the doctors or consult the wrong doctor, I mean a neurologist. An ENT specialist is a doctor who deals with such problems.
How Should You Describe Your Hearing Problem to The ENT Doctor at Vadodara?
I have seen people typing their symptoms in Google and then coming to me saying that they have a particular disorder. That is not the correct approach.
If you are at Vadodara, try to speak in vernacular language with an ENT Specialist at Vadodara. Tell the doctor whatever is important to you. You may describe the problem as, “I can hear a ringing sound in my ears”. Describe minutely, ‘when do you hear it?’ Do you hear it when you are stressed, after a workout, every time, only in the morning or any specific time?
At times, it happens that we are not clear with symptoms or how we feel. In such cases, it is important to document these facts. A little questionnaire that documents these things can help.
Do you want to know what kind of sounds you hear?
To Describe the kind of noise that you feel in your ears. Is it a ringing sound, a roaring sound, a buzzing sound, a hissing sound or a whistling sound? All these details are important for us to analyze your case.
Depending on what you feel and how you feel we can guide you for the future course of action. If needed we can guide you to the Best ENT Surgeon in Vadodara.
In case you have suffered from COVID earlier then inform your Vadodara ENT hospital about it. In short, tell your ENT doctor at Vadodara, whatever you are feeling and about your pre-existing diseases. You never know how they are interlinked.
What Causes Tinnitus/Ringing In Ears?
The exact causes of Tinnitus are not known. Studies indicate that it can be caused by Vitamin B12 deficiency also. But it can be caused due to medical problems such as:
- Hearing loss
- Ear infection or ear canal blockage
- Head or neck injuries
- Medication
- Meniere's disease
- Eustachian tube dysfunction
- Ear bone changes
- Muscle spasms in the inner ear
- Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders
- Acoustic neuroma or other head and neck tumors
- Blood vessel disorders
- Other chronic conditions
- Heart problems
- High BP
- Narrowed arteries
- Smoking
The other possible cause is due to medication like:
- Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Certain antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin (Cipro), doxycycline (Vibramycin, others), gentamicin (Garamycin), erythromycin (Ery-Tab, others), tetracycline (Sumycin), tobramycin (Nebcin), and vancomycin (Vancocin)
- Antimalarial drugs such as chloroquine and quinine
- Certain anticonvulsants, including carbamazepine (Tegretol, others) and valproic acid (Depakote, others)
- Certain cancer drugs, including cisplatin (Platinol) and vincristine (Oncovin, Vincasar)
- Loop diuretics (when given intravenously in high doses), including bumetanide (Bumex), furosemide (Lasix), and torsemide (Demadex)
- Tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil, others), clomipramine (Anafranil), and imipramine (Tofranil)
Some types of jobs can also make you more prone to tinnitus.
How Do We, The ENT Specialists At Vadodara, Diagnose Ringing In The Ear?
ENT doctor uses various techniques to diagnose ringing in the ears, some of them are:
- Physical Examination and health history can reveal your problems.
- A hearing test can reveal the sensitivity of your ears.
- Movement tests are also conducted to see which actions trigger the symptoms of ‘ringing in ears’. We ask to move our heads, walk, and perform various actions to ascertain the cause.
- Imaging Tests like CT scans or MRI
What Are The Different Kinds Of Tinnitus?
The different types of Tinnitus are broadly classified into the following four categories. Although, there are many more subdivisions of the same.
- Subjective Tinnitus: In this kind of tinnitus, the sounds are heard only by the patient. It is essential to note what triggers it. Sometimes it can last for a long time or disappear unexpectedly.
- Neurological Tinnitus: This kind of tinnitus affects the brain’s auditory functions.
- Somatic Tinnitus: This kind of tinnitus is caused by the sensory system.
- Objective Tinnitus: It is caused by involuntary muscle contractions and can be heard by ENT Specialists via a stethoscope. It can be cured unlike other forms of tinnitus.
What Kind Of Treatment Is Provided For Ringing In The Ears?
Treatment depends on the type of disorder that you are facing.
- Treat the underlying health problem like too much wax in the ears, side effects of medicines etc
- Any problem with the blood vessels can be revealed by CT scans or MRI.
- Suppressing the unwanted voice by using white noise machines, hearing aids and masking devices. This is also referred to as ‘sound therapy’.
- Sometimes by using hearing aids, the problem of Tinnitus can be resolved.
- Even though there are no prescribed drugs there are some pharmacological options that deal with stress, anxiety and depression that are caused due to tinnitus.
- If tinnitus is caused by physiological functions then by resolving them at grass root levels the problems can be resolved.
- Some experimental theories are also developed which can help in dealing with tinnitus.
- Apart from the above there are many behavioural therapies that can help to cope with tinnitus
What Is The Impact of Tinnitus on Various Individuals?
As an ENT Specialist working at the best ENT hospital at Vadodara, I understand how disturbing the condition of tinnitus can be. People with tinnitus can experience:
- Depression
- Socially awkward
- Anxiety
- Mood swings
- Sleep disturbances
- Lack of concentration
- Irritability
More than medicine, behavioural therapies can work wonders for dealing with such problems. However, excessive cough and cold can also cause tinnitus. It is temporary and resolves once the cough and cold get cured.
What Is The Way Forward If You Have Tinnitus?
Even though I am an ENT Specialist, I cannot say with certainty what causes tinnitus. But we can list some specific causes that cause symptoms of tinnitus.
As a piece of advice, you should visit an ENT hospital for this problem but if it cannot be cured with medicine then you should try some behavioural approaches that I listed earlier. That certainly helps.
For any kind of assistance needed in matters of ear, nose or throat, you can always approach our ENT hospital at Vadodara. We are there to answer all your questions.
About Dr Tapan Shah: Dr Tapan Shah is dedicated to providing optimal health care in a relaxed environment where he treats every patient as if they were his family members. He is a popular ENT Specialist in Vadodara.
About Dr Hiral Shah: Dr Hiral Shah is one of the best ENT Surgeons in Vadodara. She has pursued her MBBS in 2014 from Pramukhswami medical college, SPU, Anand, Gujarat.