Tinnitus is the false perception of sound in one or both ears or around the head, in the absence of an external source. The sound can take a variety of forms, such as ringing, whooshing, buzzing, hissing, and screeching. Tinnitus (pronounced TIN-i-tus, with the "i" sounding like "it") can be continuous or intermittent and tends to be more annoying when sufferers are idle.
The American Tinnitus Association estimates that 50 million people in the United States have tinnitus that persists for more than 6 months. It is severe enough to interfere with concentration and daily activities in more than 12 million people.
The prevalence of tinnitus increases with age and is often associated with a type of hearing loss (referred to as sensorineural hearing loss)—especially for high-pitched sounds—making it easier to hear male than female voices. (However, I doubt that's why husbands fail to hear their wives asking them to take out the garbage or carry out other household chores.) In the United States, tinnitus affects about 1 in 8 men and women over the age of 65.
Exposure to loud noises can cause tinnitus in younger people, and a disturbing number of soldiers have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with tinnitus, or hearing loss, or both.
A number of medications can cause or worsen tinnitus, which may return to previous levels when the offending drug is stopped. Tinnitus has generally not responded to medications or herbal preparations.
A hearing aid may reduce tinnitus some. More often, people benefit from masking devices. They resemble hearing aids but produce low-level sounds, referred to as "white noise," which can reduce and at times even eliminate the perception of tinnitus. You might ask your doctor about the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment device, which the Food and Drug Administration has approved for commercial distribution.
Background music or a radio on low volume may also mask tinnitus that is particularly bothersome in a quiet environment.
Ménière's disease. Some people have Ménière's disease, in which tinnitus and sensorineural hearing loss are accompanied by episodes of vertigo—a troublesome spinning sensation that may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Ménière's typically begins at an earlier age and the tinnitus tends to be lower in pitch, like the sound of machinery, rather than the more common tinnitus sounds. Treatments for Ménière's disease include dietary changes, including reducing one's intake of salt, caffeine, and alcohol. A number of medications have proven successful in alleviating the manifestations of the disorder.
People whose quality of life is significantly impaired by unremitting and progressive symptoms of Ménière's disease may be treated by injecting the antibiotic gentamicin into the ear or by surgical procedures.
