Tinnitus is the sound of noise or ringing in the ears. According to the CDC, nearly 50 million U.S. citizens experience the sound of tinnitus. Of these, about 20 million suffer from chronic tinnitus, and another 2 million suffer from advanced tinnitus. These statistics rank tinnitus as one of the most prevalent health conditions in the United States. Tinnitus is often the sign of a latent medical condition, such as an ear injury, or age-related hearing loss.
For most tinnitus sufferers, the perception of tinnitus is characterized by a buzzing, hissing, humming, or roaring sound in the inner ear. There are two types of tinnitus, objective tinnitus, and subjective tinnitus. With subjective tinnitus, only the tinnitus patient can hear the tinnitus sound. On the other hand, with objective tinnitus, other people can also hear the sound of tinnitus.
Causes
Pre-existing health conditions can worsen, and in some cases cause tinnitus. While the exact cause is not yet known, age-related hearing loss, ear wax buildup, and exposure to loud noise are common causes of tinnitus. Less common causes of tinnitus include head and neck injuries, Meniere’s disease, acoustic neuroma, and eustachian tube dysfunction.
According to the Mayo Clinic, you should make an appointment to see an audiologist if
- You begin to develop tinnitus symptoms without an obvious cause.
- You begin to develop hearing loss accompanied by dizziness and tinnitus.
- You begin to develop tinnitus after a flu diagnosis and the tinnitus symptoms do not disappear after a week.
While there is still no cure for tinnitus, there are several tinnitus treatment solutions that one can use to provide tinnitus relief and consequently, improve one’s quality of life. Commonly used treatment solutions for tinnitus include tinnitus sound therapy, hearing aid, alternative therapies, and sound masking devices.
Diagnosis
Once you begin to develop tinnitus symptoms, a hearing professional will carry out a hearing test to diagnose tinnitus. Typically, an audiologist will diagnose your tinnitus by conducting a comparison test to gauge what you can hear against what individuals of your sex and age should be able to hear.
MediFind is a free online searchable database that connects you to top doctors allows you to check your symptoms, understand your symptoms if you’ve just been diagnosed, find a doctor/right care team, stay informed about your medical condition (not just tinnitus), discover clinical trials that you can participate in, and also help you find a medical expert, should you need a second medical opinion.
To use the symptom checker by MediFind simply visit their website and you will be prompted to input your medical history (results from a medical test, if you have them, will be especially helpful), your symptoms, and some health information. For best results, carefully consider all of your symptoms and health conditions. Your information will be carefully analyzed in order to provide a comprehensive list of causes for your symptoms. If you are not satisfied with the test results, MediFind will help you seek a second opinion from another hearing professional, to help you make informed health decisions.
Most insurance carriers only offer hearing health insurance to individuals under the age of 21 while some health insurance companies will only cover the cost of the hearing test. If you or your child’s hearing health insurance claim gets denied, you should follow up with the insurance provider to get to the root of the problem. Additionally, talk to the healthcare provider about claim denial. Talking to your healthcare provider about the claim denial is a great way to get more information on why your claim was denied‚Äîthe error might have been in poorly filed paperwork, for instance.