Tinnitus is a condition of a ringing sensation
in the ears. Every tinnitus sufferer has some hearing loss BUT not
everyone with hearing loss will get tinnitus.
People get tinnitus because they have specific
lifestyle factors in addition to hearing loss.
Unilateral deafness and
tinnitus occurs when a person
experiences hearing loss in one ear while retaining normal hearing in
the
other. This condition is also known as single sided deafness and is in
most
cases permanent. While
a single
underlying cause for unilateral deafness has yet to be found, a sudden
onset of
hearing loss can be a result of trauma, measles, mumps or a high fever. It is not at all
that uncommon for a person
to experience tinnitus, which is constant ringing or buzzing, in the
same ear
that experiences hearing loss. This is a hard to explain phenomena
since
tinnitus itself is not well understood and also very difficult to treat.
The occurrence of
unilateral deafness and tinnitus could be
a sign of other health issues as well. When a individual suffers from
both
symptoms it could mean that they have acoustic neuroma. Acoustic
neuromas are
also labeled as Vestibular Schwannomas by people in the medical field
because
they are the result of the Schwann cell covering the vestibular nerve.
People
suffering from acoustic neuromas also report symptoms of dizziness,
facial
numbness and tingling along with the single sided deafness and tinnitus.
While tinnitus is still a
medical mystery, most treatments
for it, while difficult, do prove effective at helping alleviate the
problems
of constant ringing or buzzing that plague its victims. Sometimes
in extreme cases, tinnitus can be
caused by damage to the auditory tube as the result of head trauma or a
neurological
disorder. If this is the case, extensive treatments like surgery may be
required. Medications
can also cause
tinnitus. If this is case, the disorder will generally go away once the
medication is stopped or replaced with a different brand. For mild cases of
tinnitus, there are some
very effective home remedies and exercises available that can help stop
or
reduce the ringing.
A buildup of wax in the
auditory tube or ear canal can be
another cause of tinnitus. This buildup can lead to complete blockage
which
will cause the symptom of single sided deafness. This can be remedied
with the
removal of the blockage by a medical professional or through the use of
an ear
cleansing solution. Tick and insect bites have also been known to cause
tinnitus and single sided deafness. While this is easily treatable, it
is
generally hard to diagnose. Once treated, hearing my comeback but the
tinnitus
might remain for a time.
Since so many different
things can cause it, tinnitus is a
difficult symptom to treat. Its presence could mean that another
problem within
the body and many tests might be needed until the cause is determined.