What's going on with the buzzing sound

In a quiet environment, many people tend to feel buzzing in their ears. Some people may not take it seriously and think it's no big deal. However, many medical conditions can cause ringing in the ears, and if left untreated, they can lead to serious eye problems. Therefore, if buzzing in the ears occurs, we should make a timely diagnosis and go to the hospital for treatment. So, what exactly is causing the buzzing in the ears?

1. Noise damage

Explosive noise and prolonged exposure to noise can both lead to hearing loss and tinnitus. People working in high-intensity noise environments should pay attention to noise protection, such as reducing noise sources or wearing protective earmuffs and earplugs. In addition, be careful not to use headphones for long periods of time or at high volume in a noisy environment.

2. Ototoxic drugs

The use of large doses of drugs such as quinine, chloroquine, and quinidine can cause severe tinnitus, but the condition improves after stopping the drug and usually does not affect hearing. Commonly used antibiotics such as gentamicin, kanamycin, streptomycin, etc. are toxic to the auditory nerve and vestibular nerve. Tinnitus may occur in the early stage, which is often high-pitched and bilateral. If the medication is not stopped in time, it may rapidly develop into deafness and be difficult to reverse. Therefore, when patients with tinnitus seek medical treatment for other diseases, please do not forget to tell your attending physician that you have tinnitus.

3. Otogenic diseases

Such as cerumen embolism, otitis media effusion, etc., tinnitus will disappear after the cause is eliminated. The main treatment for otosclerosis is surgery. Depending on the condition, medication prevention, hearing aids or cochlear implants can also be used. The tinnitus caused by acoustic neuroma is relatively dangerous. If not treated in time, the tumor will grow and compress the facial nerve, which may lead to facial paralysis, and compress the brain tissue, which may be life-threatening.

4. Senile tinnitus

It may be caused by degeneration of the auditory nervous system, generally accounting for 30% in people over 60 years old. Drug treatment is ineffective and can only improve some symptoms.

5. Mental stress and fatigue

Persistent tinnitus caused by long-term high mental stress and physical fatigue, such as overwork, lack of sleep, mental stress, etc., is generally considered to be neurological tinnitus. There is no specific medicine, but some symptoms can be improved. Therefore, it is helpful to slow down the work pace, relax, develop good work and rest habits, and divert attention from tinnitus.

6. Tinnitus caused by other systemic diseases

Systemic diseases: People with kidney or liver diseases, diabetes, hypertension, tuberculosis, bronchitis, etc., may also experience tinnitus symptoms when these diseases cause systemic dysfunction. But it will disappear as these diseases recover.