Millions of people across the world suffer from tinnitus. This problem comprises of a ringing, buzzing, or hissing sound in the ears. It may be a minor irritational sensation for some people, but for others, it can lead to serious hearing problems. It can affect your sleep, focus, and general quality of life. Thus, in order to diagnose and treat this problem, seeking advice from an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) specialist is essential. So, let’s get to the details and understand how tinnitus is treated.
What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is not a disease. It is a symptom of an underlying condition. Some of the common causes include:
- Tinnitus may result from age-related or noise-induced hearing loss.
- This problem can also occur due to earwax buildup, infections, or, in rare instances, tumors can also be a potent reason.
- If you are taking a high dose of aspirin, antibiotics, or diuretics medications, then it might induce or exacerbate tinnitus.
- Circulatory system abnormalities, head or neck injuries, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders can all be contributing factors of tinnitus.
Diagnostic Approach in Ear Clinics
If you are suffering from tinnitus, we recommend that you consult a reliable ENT doctor. Why don’t you check out https://earnosethroat.com.sg for a comprehensive evaluation? Some of these evaluations include:
- Medical History and Physical Examination: They will try to understand the patient’s past medical conditions, and based on that, they will also perform a comprehensive otoscopic examination.
- Hearing Tests: They will conduct audiograms, which will help to determine the patient’s hearing levels. It will also assist in spotting any trends in hearing loss.
- Imaging Studies: To identify any structural problems in the brain or ears, they may even suggest conducting MRI or CT scans.
- Referral to Specialists: They can also refer to audiologists, neurologists, or dentists if subsequent help is required based on the results.
Treatment Modalities
The severity of the tinnitus and its underlying cause determine the course of treatment, such as:
- Dealing with the Root Causes: Tinnitus symptoms may be reduced if an underlying condition, such as earwax accumulation or TMJ disorders, is found to be the cause.
- Sound Therapy: It is the process of masking the tinnitus sounds with outside noises so that the brain can concentrate on background noise.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): It is a form of counseling that helps patients manage their reactions to tinnitus, and it also helps reduce stress.
- Medications: It is a well-known fact that no drug cures tinnitus, but still, certain medicines can help reduce the severity of symptoms or address associated conditions like anxiety or depression.
- Hearing Aids: If you are someone with hearing loss, hearing aids can amplify external sounds, which makes tinnitus less noticeable.
- Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT): During this therapy, there is combines counseling and sound therapy, which is going to help the patient become accustomed to the tinnitus sound.
Conclusion
You must know that an individualized and multidimensional approach is necessary for managing tinnitus. This is where ENT experts have the required skills and information necessary to make diagnoses and provide efficient treatment plans. Thus, the first step to finding relief from persistent tinnitus is to have it evaluated by an expert.
