Tinnitus

From Latin tinnire ( to ring or tinkle )- a sensation of any sound perceived in the head or in the ears without an evident external stimulus.

At any point in time around 10 % of the population experiences tinnitus ( BTA ) There is no standard diagnostic criterion for tinnitus and is normally determined by self -report typically in reponse to a single question Tinnitus has a reported prevalence of about 8-25.3 % in the US A systemic review ( Abby McCormack et al 2016 ) reported a range from 5.1 to 42.7 % No gender discrimination in incidence Higher incidence among- military personnel, stage workers , drummers and those who perform in front of loudspeakers

Subjective tinnitus -Occurs in absence of any physical sound reaching the ear - audible only to the patient. Causes- wax in external ear . Middle ear causes - otosclerosis , middle ear effusion

Inner ear causes -Noise-induced hearing loss Presbyacusis Meniere's dis Trauma ( surgery , head injury ) Ototoxic drugs Labyrinthitis Acoustic neuroma

Two-thirds of people with tinnitus have a disorder causing hearing impairment Most commonly tinnitus is associated with disorders causing sensorineural hearing loss- includes○ age related○ noise related ( less...