Causes
The most common cause of tinnitus is damage and loss of the tiny sensory hair cells in the cochlea of the inner ear. This tends to happen as people age, and it can also result from prolonged exposure to excessively loud noise. Hearing loss may coincide with tinnitus.
Long-term exposure to continuous loud noise above 85 db can cause lasting hearing loss.
Concerts, Loud Noises, and Tinnitus
Loud concerts can cause ringing in your ears afterward. The average decibel level at a rock concert is 110, loud enough to cause permanent damage after just 15 minutes. Hearing damage can occur with extended exposure of any noise over 85 decibels. Other risky sounds include leaf blowers and chain saws. Normal conversation registers at 60. Tinnitus can last for hours, days, weeks, or permanently. To prevent hearing damage or loss, use earplugs and limit your exposure.
Medicine
Some medicines are known to cause hearing loss as a potential side effect. These include certain antibiotics and cancer drugs and in some cases erectile dysfunction medication. Regular use of aspirin, NDAIDs, and acetaminophen can increase the risk of hearing loss. In some cases, hearing related side effects go away when you stop taking the medication.
Injury or Pressure Changes
Severe head trauma can dislocate middle-ear bones or cause nerve damage, causing permanent hearing loss. Sudden changes in pressure - from flying on an airplane or scuba diving - can lead to damage to the eardrum, middle ear, or inner ear and hearing loss. Eardrums usually heal in a few weeks. In serious cases of inner ear damage, you may need surgery.
Ongoing Exposure
to Noise on the Job
Long-term exposure to continuous loud noise above 85 db can cause lasting hearing loss. A common cause is workplace noise, like machinery, power tools, lawn equipment, tractors, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and sound equipment such as personal listening devices set to high volume can damage hearing over time. If you can, avoid or take breaks from noisy activities. Wear earplugs or ear protectors that fit over the ear.
Chronic Disease
Certain chronic diseases that are not directly related to the ear can cause hearing loss. Some cause harm by interrupting blood flow to the inner ear or the brain. These conditions include heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, also can be linked to some forms of hearing loss.
Tumors and Growths
Noncancerous growths, including osteomas, exostoses, and benign polyps, can block the ear canal, causing hearing loss. In some cases, removing the growth can restore hearing. Acoustic neuroma (an inner ear tumor shown here), grows on the hearing and balance nerve in the inner ear. Balance issues, facial numbness, and tinnitus can also be a problem. Treatment can sometimes help preserve some hearing.
Otosclerosis
Sometimes one of the bones in your middle ear, called the stapes, gets stuck in place and can’t vibrate. This can affect your hearing over time. Your ears might ring or you could feel dizzy. There are no drugs to take for it, but surgery and hearing aids often can help.
Explosive Noises
Nearly 17% of U.S. adults have some degree of hearing loss. Sometimes it is caused by very loud and sudden noises. Firecrackers, gunshots, or other explosions create powerful sound waves. These can rupture your eardrum or damage the inner ear. This is called acoustic trauma. The result can be immediate and may result in permanent damage and hearing loss.
There are two ways that noise exposure can damage hearing:
Single explosion of noise. Sudden unprotected exposure to a sound measuring 140 decibels (db) or above, such as a rifle gunshot or firecracker blast, can cause immediate hearing loss. The sounds of artillery and explosions are more dangerous. In fact, noise-induced hearing loss is a common injury in the military.
Prolonged exposure to loud noise. Long-term exposure to noise levels above 85 db can damage your hearing.
Approximately 15 percent of Americans between ages 20 and 69 have some degree of high-frequency hearing loss due to exposure to loud sounds or noise at work or during recreational activities.
Meniere's Disease
This happens when there’s too much fluid in parts of your inner ear. Symptoms include ringing in your ears, hearing loss, and dizziness. It’s not clear what causes it, and there’s no known cure. If it doesn't go away on its own, you can manage it with medicines or other treatments. In rare cases, you may need surgery to stop the symptoms.
Vertigo
You're dizzy, can't keep your balance, and feel a little woozy: These are all signs of vertigo. Different things can bring it on, including a problem with the "crystals" in your inner ear that tell your brain how your head is moving. This may get better on its own, but your doctor can help relieve your symptoms in the meantime.
Cauliflower Ear
Common among wrestlers, this is caused by repeated hits and cuts to the ear. This creates blood clots that lead to the lumpy look. But it can affect more than how it looks. A recent study shows this type of ear damage can make you more likely to get infections and lose your hearing.
Labyrinthitis
Labyrinthitis is an inflammation that can affect both the cochlea, which is vital to hearing, and the vestibular labyrinth, which plays a role in balance and eye movement. If the inflammation affects only the vestibular labyrinth, it's known as vestibular neuritis.
The inflammation often follows a viral infection or, more rarely, after a bacterial infection. Labyrinthitis may also occur after a blow to the head, or it may occur with no associated illness or trauma.
Signs and symptoms of labyrinthitis include dizziness, hearing loss, tinnitus, nausea, vomiting and involuntary movements of your eyes. You may lose all of your hearing in the affected ear.
Acoustic Neuroma
An acoustic neuroma is a slow growing, benign tumor on the balance and hearing nerves leading from your inner ear to your brain. The tumor results from an uncontrolled growth of Schwann cells covering the nerves. It causes hearing loss by applying severe pressure on these nerves and affecting their blood supply. The condition is also known as vestibular Schwannoma.
Because n acoustic neuroma affects nerves related to both hearing and balance, hearing loss and tinnitus in one ear are common signs and symptoms of the disorder. As the tumor grows, it can affect other nerves, causing facial numbness and weakness
Autoimmune inner ear disease
Autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED) occurs when your body's immune system mistakes normal cells in your inner ear for a virus or bacteria and begins attacking them. This produces an inflammatory reaction that can lead to problems with both hearing and balance. AIED is rare, probably accounting for less than 1 percent of all cases of hearing loss.
Jaw disorders
A misaligned joint connecting your jaw and the temporal bone of your skull may cause clicking or grating noises whenever you move your jaw. Some people claim the noises are present even when no jaw movement occurs, but this is debatable. A dentist who specializes in treating this joint may be able to correct the misalignment and reduce or eliminate the associated noises.