Tinnitus

The perception of sound (ringing, buzzing, hissing, or roaring) in the absence of an external acoustic source, usually resulting from pathology affecting the auditory system.

Causes

• Noise and age-related causes

  • Chronic noise exposure

  • Presbycusis

• Ear-related causes

  • Earwax impaction

  • Foreign body in the ear canal

  • Otitis externa or otitis media

  • Eustachian tube dysfunction

• Medications (ototoxicity)

  • NSAIDs

  • Diuretics

  • Antibiotics (aminoglycosides)

  • Other ototoxic medications

• Inner ear disorders

  • Ménière’s disease

  • Cochlear damage

  • Sensorineural hearing loss

• Vascular causes (pulsatile tinnitus)

  • Atherosclerosis

  • Vascular malformations

  • Arterial or venous abnormalities

• Neurological causes

  • Multiple sclerosis

  • Migraine

  • Acoustic neuroma / vestibular schwannoma

• Temporomandibular joint disorder

• Other causes

  • Head or ear trauma

  • Anxiety and stress-related amplification

  • Idiopathic tinnitus