![]() ![]() He says this pattern of hearing loss - and the tinnitus that results - is common among people who have been exposed to loud noises like firearms or live music concerts. For example, anaemia can be treated with medication or blood transfusion, glue ear can be. ![]() “Most of the time, that test will show the classic pattern where you’re missing some high-pitched hearing,” Comer says. Conductive hearing losssuch as a perforated ear drum or glue ear. ( 2)Įarly on, tinnitus patients will also undergo a hearing exam. A doctor might also use a noise-producing machine to measure the patient’s “minimum masking level,” or the amount of sound needed to cover up her tinnitus. There are several types of tests a doctor or health professional who specializes in ear health can use to gauge the strength and tone of someone’s tinnitus, including a machine that helps produce a sound that aligns with what the patient is hearing. Though in some cases making a diagnosis isn’t as straightforward as some people might assume, he adds.Īfter asking a patient what they’re hearing, Comer says the next step in making a diagnosis involves asking questions about the onset of tinnitus, such as: When did it start? How often is it noticeable? Your doctor will also try to measure the severity of the tinnitus. If one senses a ‘swooshing sound’ in one’s ear, that can be related to an abnormality of the blood vessels in the brain called A-V malformation that can only be diagnosed. But the first step is identifying that the symptom exists, Dr. Lepor continues, Patients with high blood pressure surges and blockages in the main arteries to the brain (carotid artery) can also have pulsatile tinnitus. Potential causes of tinnitus include age-related hearing loss, taking certain medicines, an underlying health problem, and other reasons, so the way to take care of the problem varies. One important distinction to make is that tinnitus itself is not considered a disease rather, it’s a symptom that signals something is wrong with the auditory system. This form of tinnitus can be caused by “turbulent” blood flow or unusual muscle contractions near a person’s ear, according to previous research. And in some very rare cases, a person’s tinnitus may even be audible to other people, which is known as “ objective tinnitus,” because it’s a sound a doctor or someone other than the patient can hear. ![]() He says tinnitus can be classified as “pulsatile” or “nonpulsatile” - the former meaning it aligns with a person’s heartbeat, potentially sounding low and throbbing like a heartbeat. “It could be a ringing, but it could also be a buzzing, a whistling, a sound like ocean waves, leaves rustling - all those types of things,” says Brett Comer, MD, a surgeon and associate professor of otolaryngology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington. When most people think about tinnitus, they associate it with “a ringing in the ears.” While that’s accurate in many cases, the condition can be far more complex. ![]()
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