If you’ve ever noticed a persistent ringing or noise in your ear that doesn’t seem to go away, you might be suffering from tinnitus.
This is a very common health condition that affects nearly 20 percent of people across the world. Depending on the severity of your tinnitus, this can be a very difficult condition to handle, which is why it’s important that you’re wholly aware of what tinnitus is and how the issue can be remedied by an ENT clinic in Los Angeles.
What Is Tinnitus?
When a person is affected by tinnitus, they will experience a ringing or noise in their ears that is not caused by some external source. Keep in mind that tinnitus is a symptom of an underlying condition, which means that the condition will need to be diagnosed before your case of tinnitus can be effectively treated. While tinnitus is bothersome and frustrating to deal with, it’s usually not regarded as a harmful condition. However, it’s possible for a person’s tinnitus to worsen with age, which can make it more burdensome over time. Treatments for tinnitus can either get rid of the underlying condition or mask the particular noise that you’re hearing, which makes it less noticeable.
What Causes Tinnitus?
Tinnitus can develop because of many different health conditions. However, there are times when the cause of the tinnitus isn’t known. For many people, tinnitus develops when the hair cells within the inner ear become damaged. These hairs are designed to move in accordance with sound waves. Each movement triggers an electrical signal that’s sent to the brain, which is interpreted as sound. If these hairs become broken or bent, it’s possible for them to send random signals to the brain, which causes the errant noise or sounds that you hear because of tinnitus.
Additional causes of tinnitus include earwax blockage, age-related loss of hearing, exposure to very loud noises, and changes of the middle ear bones. Some less common causes include acoustic neuroma, TMJ disorders, and a dysfunction of the Eustachian tube. The exact cause of your tinnitus may be able to be diagnosed by an ENT clinic in Los Angeles.
Symptoms Associated With This Condition
When you suffer from tinnitus, the main types of sounds and noises that you might hear include ringing, roaring, hissing, buzzing, humming, and clicking. These sounds can occur constantly or may come and go. Your case of tinnitus could also be mild or severe, which means that the volume of the sound can be relatively low or exceedingly high depending on severity.
Available Tinnitus Treatments at an ENT Clinic in Los Angeles
Once your case of tinnitus has been diagnosed by an ENT clinic in Los Angeles, you will be able to explore various treatment solutions. The treatment of certain underlying health conditions like an earwax blockage or a blood vessel condition may be able to get rid of your tinnitus altogether. The noise could also be suppressed via hearing aids, masking devices, or white noise machines like dehumidifiers or fans. Certain antidepressants may be able to reduce the severity of your tinnitus as well.