Often the body gives signals that are difficult to ignore. A cause for concern may be various uncomfortable conditions that are not individual diseases. They serve as a sign of certain malfunctions in the body. For example, a buzz in the ear, the causes of which are not associated with external noise. What is this symptom, and why does it occur?
How is this manifested?
Incomprehensible noises in the head, which are not heard by others, can manifest themselves in different ways. Someone hears a thin squeak, someone hears a jingle. Sometimes it is rustling and rustling, sometimes buzzing or whistling. Sometimes patients complain of measured clicks, while someone just buzzes in their ears. Although, it is worth noting that some pathologies are accompanied by tinnitus, which can be heard by those standing nearby. All these sounds have certain reasons.
Noise classification
Doctors divide the noise into several types:
- unilateral;
- bilateral;
- quiet;
- loud;
- constant;
- periodic.
Most of the noise is heard only by the patient. In this case, the hum in the ear, the causes of which will be analyzed later, cannot be heard by an outsider or fixed with equipment. However, when a similar symptom occurs, you should immediately consult a doctor. The fact is that a seemingly innocuous problem may turn out to be a sign of a serious pathology.
Buzzing in the ears: causes
These violations can be the result of various problems. Most often, the reason for buzzing in the ears is as follows:
- Middle ear defect. It can appear when bone tissue or internal elements of the ear are damaged after otitis media or an eardrum injury.
- A defect in the inner ear that developed as a result of a cold, antibiotics, loud noises, the appearance of neoplasms in the auditory nerve, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis.
- Ingestion of a foreign body or fluid. Most often, for this reason, children suffer.
- Meniere's disease.
- The formation of sulfur cork.
- The formation of aneurysms, malformation.
- Auditory neuroma.
- Narrowing of the carotid artery or jugular vein.
- Osteochondrosis.
- Traumatic brain injury.
- Overwork and stress.
- Kidney disease.
- Diabetes.
- Loss of perception of high tones, which is a particular manifestation of aging. The medical name is Presbycusus.
Meniere's disease
Some causes of noise in the head require additional decryption. So, for example, in the above list, Meniere's disease is indicated. This is a disease in which tinnitus and dizziness are caused by an increase in the amount of endolymph (fluid) in the cavity of the inner ear. The fluid puts pressure on the cells that regulate the spatial orientation of the body and maintain balance. The disease is rare, as it is diagnosed in a small percentage of the population. However, in medical practice there was a false diagnosis of Meniere's disease, based on recurrent dizziness.
The causes of the disease are poorly understood. Most often, tinnitus and dizziness in Meniere's syndrome occur as a result of vascular diseases, injuries, inflammatory processes or infections. In addition to noise and dizziness, the patient suffers from an equilibrium disorder that interferes not only with walking and standing, but even sitting. The patient is sweating, he is sick. The disease is accompanied by frequent vomiting, pallor of the skin, low pressure.
A complete cure for this disease is impossible. But doctors are trying to reduce the frequency of manifestations and stop the symptoms. To do this, prescribe a special diet, diuretics, antihistamines and sedatives.
Auditory Nerve Neuroma
Another reason why the buzzing in the ears is the auditory nerve neuroma. The disease has several names: vestibular schwannoma, acoustic neuroma, acoustic schwannoma. Neurinoma is a benign tumor that grows from Schwann's leukocytes of the auditory nerve. The Schwann cell is auxiliary, it supports the axon and nourishes the body of the neuron.
The clinical manifestations of acoustic neuroma are hearing loss on the one hand, pain in the corresponding half of the face, paresis of the facial nerve, impaired swallowing and articulation. Also, the buzzing in the ear. What to do in this case? Urgently see a doctor. Since neuroma should be removed, or undergo radiation therapy.
Why can tinnitus be a symptom of kidney disease or diabetes?
It is difficult for a person to understand this without a medical education. The buzz in the ear, the causes of which are associated with kidney diseases, is explained as follows: as a result of the disease, the adrenal glands lose the ability to normally produce norepinephrine and adrenaline. These hormones, including affect blood pressure. As a result of the violation, the heart has to work more intensively and the concentration of glucose increases. Due to the overproduction of adrenaline, insulin production is inhibited, which affects the concentration of sugar in the blood. So it turns out that the buzz in the ears and head may be the reason for the appointment of a blood sugar test and examination of the kidneys.
Why is the noise louder at night
In fact, the noise level does not actually change. But the environment is changing. During the day, background sounds are constantly around the person: the city is noisy, people are talking, cars are driving somewhere, horn humming or trams are ringing. As a result of the surrounding noise, the hum in the ears and head is less noticeable. And at night these sounds are less and a person more clearly hears the movement of blood. In addition, at night these problems do not give relaxation and prevent sleep. Therefore, at night, the noise in the ears and head is much more annoying.
Which doctor should I contact
If a person is disturbed by a buzz in the ear, the otolaryngologist (ENT) should start looking for reasons. He will conduct an examination, schedule an examination and tests. If there are no deviations from his side, then the patient receives a referral to other specialists. This may be a neurologist, neurologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, because most patients hear changes in blood vessels due to changes in the functioning of the cardiovascular apparatus. But many patients choose a unique treatment for tinnitus . Since the specialists involved in this program treat not only tinnitus, but also its causes, such as Meniere's disease, osteochondrosis, and many others.
Diagnostics
In addition to examining the patient, specialists can prescribe such examinations as audiometry, ultrasound of the cerebral vessels, a biochemical blood test to determine cholesterol and coagulograms, x-rays, computed tomography, dopplerography, REG (rheoencephalography).
If an objective noise is diagnosed, which the doctor can also hear, then he conducts a phonendoscope examination. He can determine the area of click or ripple. You can also find muscle sound resulting from the convulsive contraction of the soft palate and middle ear.
Treatment
If the question: “why is it buzzing in the ears”, the ENT can answer that the sulfur plug is to blame, then the treatment is extremely simple. The doctor washes the plug right during the initial treatment.
If tinnitus appeared after a cold, the doctor will prescribe drops (Albucid, Otinum or others). Washing solutions may also be recommended (Polymyxinum, Rizortsin, Etoniy and others). And it is also necessary to cure a runny nose.
If the patient has otitis media, then drops and antibiotics can be used for treatment. Most often this is Levomycetin, Ceftriaxone. But treatment can only be selected by a specialist. Be sure to apply nasal drops.
In stressful situations, doctors recommend sedative decoctions, rest, long walks, physical activity, a change in activity, drugs for a better sleep.
With vascular problems and high blood pressure, special medications are prescribed to normalize it. In addition, they recommend a special diet. Vascular noises are pulsating, they coincide with the rhythm of heart contractions. In addition to hypertension, their cause can be aneurysm (protrusion, thinning and stretching of the vascular wall) and malformation (pathology in the connections of veins and arteries). In this case, the patient needs an operation to eliminate the pathology. Thus, a timely visit to a doctor with a complaint of tinnitus will help to avoid, for example, a stroke.
In the treatment of tumors from which the buzzing in the ears, the causes, sizes and type of neoplasm will affect the chosen tactics. A drug exposure, surgery or radiation will be selected. If the hearing loss has decreased due to the disease, then a hearing aid may be recommended or a prosthesis of the auditory ossicle may be performed .
Folk remedies
Treatment of tinnitus with folk remedies most often eliminates the symptom, and the underlying disease still requires treatment. However, many resort to folk methods to get an opportunity to take a break from the constantly accompanying noise. Most often, the following remedies are recommended:
- Onion with caraway seeds. For this, a large onion, stuffed with caraway seeds, is baked in the oven. Then squeeze the juice and drip it 2 drops in each ear several times a day. After a while, the noise disappears, but the treatment continues for another 2 days.
- Dill. Not only small leaves are used, but also the stem and the rosette with seeds. The plant is crushed, poured with boiling water, insist for an hour and drink before eating half a glass. The course of treatment is 8 weeks. Suitable for both fresh dill and dried.
- Earplugs from viburnum. Ripe berries are brought to a boil and cooled. Then the fluid is decanted and knead into a slurry (it will not turn out homogeneous due to the skin and bones). The gruel is mixed with the same amount of honey and spread on cheesecloth. Then gauze is tied with a knot, which is placed in the ear all night. The procedure is repeated until the noise disappears.
- Earplugs from potatoes with honey. In this case, raw potatoes are rubbed on a medium grater, juice is squeezed out of it a little, the resulting slurry is mixed with honey and decomposed into gauze. Further, as in the recipe with viburnum.
- Beet. 100 gr. finely grated beets are poured into a glass of water and put on an stove in an enameled bowl. A spoonful of honey is added to the beets. All this must be boiled for about 15 minutes. Then a cotton swab is lowered into the beetroot mass and laid in the ear. This remedy works especially well for complications of the common cold.
Doctors doubt that treating tinnitus with folk remedies is effective. They recommend combining the treatment of the underlying disease with the elimination of the symptom (hum in the ears). This is the only way to get rid of the problem or significantly reduce it.