Tinnitus, or that annoying ringing in the ears, is usually a temporary condition that goes away on its own. It’s typically caused by exposure to loud noises, such as a concert, construction machinery, using headphones at full volume, or even excessive earwax buildup.
However, sometimes tinnitus can be a sign of less harmless problems that could be affecting you. If you have severe tinnitus that won’t go away, consider getting checked out by a doctor to rule out any of these potentially serious causes:
1. Meniere’s Disease: This inner ear disease can cause tinnitus due to a disturbance in the ear’s fluid systems. Typically, this type of tinnitus only occurs in one ear, although it can occur in both. Vertigo is another symptom of Meniere’s disease.
2. TMJ Disorders: Damage or disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) can often cause tinnitus as a result of pain and stress around the area where the lower jaw connects to the skull.
3. Acoustic Neuroma: Although rare, this specific type of brain tumor can grow on the nerve that regulates your hearing, causing your body to generate sounds that aren’t there, including tinnitus. This is another cause that usually affects only one ear.
4. Head/Neck Cancer: Other types of tumors in the head and neck can disrupt blood flow to the ears or put pressure on the nerves or bones of the ear. Tinnitus can result from these growths due to faulty information from your nervous system or changes in blood flow to your ears.
5. Atherosclerosis: Narrowing of the blood vessels in the ear, caused by high cholesterol or other arterial diseases, can make the sound of blood flow in the ears louder, as the vessels can’t expand and contract as efficiently as before. In this type of tinnitus, you could be hearing your own heartbeat!
6. High Blood Pressure: Like narrowed blood vessels, high blood pressure can cause you to hear the sounds of blood pumping in your ear. If your heart beats hard and fast, you can sometimes hear that throbbing noise as tinnitus. High blood pressure can also lead to narrowing of the blood vessels, worsening the problem.
7. Vitamin Deficiencies: Although the precise mechanism is unknown, not getting enough vitamin A or vitamin B12 can cause tinnitus. These deficiencies can have other more serious effects on your health, which is why it is important to remedy the deficiency if it is the cause of your tinnitus.
8. Capillary Malformation: An AVM, or arteriovenous malformation, can cause kinks or narrowed areas to form in the small blood vessels in your ear, resulting in a type of tinnitus described as a “whooshing” noise.
9. Head Trauma: Tinnitus can be caused by a hard blow to the head and can be due to broken bones, blood vessel problems, nerve or brain damage, and can be a sign of a concussion.
You should consult a medical professional after experiencing any head trauma, but if the impact resulted in tinnitus, you’ll definitely want to get checked out to prevent further complications.
References:
- https://www.medicinenet.com/meniere_disease/article.htm
- https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-tinnitus-basics
- https://www.emedicinehealth.com/tinnitus/page2_em.htm#tinnitus_causes
- https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tinnitus/DS00365/DSECTION=causes
- https://www.healthguidance.org/entry/6089/1/Major-Causes-Of-Tinnitus.html
- https://www.medhelp.org/posts/Neurology/Tinnitus-or-arteriovenous-malformation-AVM/show/295197