Tinnitus, Infections, and Hearing Loss
If you have a noise in your ear(s), we can help you.
Tinnitus:
Tinnitus is an intermittent or constant noise in your ears that affects as many as 50 million Americans. Tinnitus can affect the quality of your life and can cause you to become anxious, depressed, and not feel like participating in the activities you once enjoyed.
Tinnitus is a condition where a person hears an abnormal noise in their ears. The noise can be a variety of sounds or tones but is most frequently described as ringing, squealing, hissing, buzzing, or roaring. Tinnitus is much more common in people who have had excessive exposure to or have worked around loud noise. It is also more common with people that have a high frequency (tone) hearing loss.
Most of the time persistent tinnitus is as a result of damage of to the microscopic structures in the inner ear (Cochlea) called hair cells. Sometimes tinnitus can be a result of simpler problems like an ear canal filled with wax, an ear infection, fluid in the middle ear, and other primary ear problems. We can make this diagnosis and often resolve your problem immediately.
Sometimes tinnitus can be a result of a perceived noise that is not coming from the ear. This is often a result of muscle or joint problems in and around the head, face, and neck.
Another example of tinnitus that is not originating in the ear is pulsatile tinnitus. Patients describe this as a heartbeat or pulsing noise, more often heard in only one ear. While these sounds may be a result of a muscle spasm, they are sometimes a result of a more serious medical problem, such as vascular tumors or blood vessel (vascular) problems in the head and neck. We recommend that you come in for an evaluation promptly if you are having this problem.
Although there is no proven medication or surgery that will help people with tinnitus, there is a very good treatment that helps 80 to 85 percent of patients with tinnitus. This is called Tinnitus Retraining Therapy that was developed by Dr. Pawel Jastreboff. Using this therapy, many patients may see significant improvement, or even resolution of the annoyance and distress that is caused by tinnitus.
It is most important to know that tinnitus can often be avoided by protecting your ears from excessive or loud noise exposure. Do not hesitate to use hearing protection, earplugs, or earmuffs if you are working around or are going to be exposed to loud sounds.
If you have any of these symptoms, please contact us.
Factoid:
Infections:
The most common ear infections are external otitis and acute otitis media.
External otitis is often called swimmers ear and may be a result of trapped water in the ear canal that leads down to the eardrum. It is frequently associated with wax in the ear canal. When water gets in the canal a bacterial or fungal infection may develop. Symptoms include moderate to very severe ear pain, pain with movement of the outer ear, or chewing, fullness in the ear, and hearing loss. Both adults and children are equally affected with external otitis. Prompt evaluation and treatment is advisable.
Acute otitis media is a very common problem especially in children. It is the most frequent diagnosis for children under the age of five who visit their physicians for illness. It is also the most common cause of temporary hearing loss in children.
It typically occurs after a viral upper respiratory infection (cold). It may also be associated with allergies, exposure to smoke, immune dysfunction, and other systemic illnesses. Any condition that causes inflammation and swelling of the nose and throat can cause dysfunction of the Eustachian tube. This tube runs from the throat to the middle ear and allows the ear to equalize pressure and remain healthy.
When the Eustachian tube gets blocked, negative pressure forms in the middle ear, the space in back of the eardrum. This negative pressure starts the process of developing fluid and or infection in the middle ear and leads to otitis media.
Symptoms and Signs of Acute Otitis Media:
- Ear pain
- Fullness in the ear or hearing loss
- Drainage from the ear
- Tugging or pulling at an ear
- Pulling at the ears
- Fever
- Irritability
- Dizziness
When You Should See a Doctor:
- Symptoms last for longer than 24 to 48 hours
- High fever (greater than 101 F)
- Drainage from the ear
- Severe ear pain
- Infant, toddler, or child that is very irritable or unable to sleep
- Severe nausea and or vomiting
Treatment:
- Pain medication
- Antibiotics: Current literature supports delaying the use of antibiotics for up to four days for uncomplicated otitis media.
- Surgery: In selected cases, surgery, including the use of PE (pressure equalization) tubes may be appropriate. The newest literature indicates that surgery can be avoided in the majority of patients, and should be reserved for patients who have had infections for greater than six months or who develop complications of otitis media.
Hearing Loss:
Do you have trouble hearing at the movies? Do you have trouble hearing a conversation while in a large group of people? We can help by checking your hearing at our complete state-of-the-art hearing center. Whenever you are ready, we can fit you with hearing aids.
FACTOID:
Symptoms:
If you have experienced one or more of the following, you may have hearing loss.
- You have trouble hearing in groups.
- You think others mumble.
- You don’t hear someone talking from behind you.
- You turn up the volume on the TV or car radio.
- You have difficulty hearing a person talking on the phone.
- You have trouble hearing when your alarm rings.
- You have difficulty hearing at the movies.
- You feel uncomfortable going to noisy parties and restaurants because you can’t hear conversations.
Do you need a
bi-lingual ENT doctor?
Alan E. Oshinsky, MD and
Ileana I. Showalter, MD,
are both fluent in Spanish.
To make an appointment
Call 410 837-6126
410-837-6126
Looking for an ENT Doctor?
Alan E. Oshinsky, MD, PA and his team are just a phone call away