In the article we will consider what it is - idiopathic tinnitus.
This is a fairly common phenomenon, patients of the older age group suffer from the disease. This pathology can occur under certain circumstances in the vast majority of people, but most often such noise is transient.
What do the statistics say?
It is also important to understand that existing prevalence statistics for this disease will not be highly accurate, as it is very rare for patients with tinnitus to seek medical attention. A doctor, usually a neurologist or an otorhinolaryngologist, such patients turn to when it becomes impossible to tolerate such noise. If the symptoms are stable and there is no progress, then there is often no referral.
Unfortunately, it will not be uncommon for tinnitus to be so pronounced that the quality of life is greatly reduced. Therapy of such ailments is often difficult because the cause of tinnitus remains unclear.
So, let's take a closer look at what it is - idiopathic tinnitus.
How does it manifest and how can it occur?
The tinnitus that patients hear is described in many ways. Usually there is no external source of sound vibrations. Sometimes a similar symptom appears only in absolute silence and does not spoil life in any way. Noise has a uniform character, without drops. Like buzzing in the ear. Sometimes manifests itself as clicks, beeps, or even a series of clicks similar to a Morse code transmission.
Single-sided and double-sided
Tinnitus can be unilateral or bilateral and may or may not be accompanied by hearing loss. The mechanism of formation of symptoms of idiopathic tinnitus is different. The disease can be the result of diseases of the heart and blood vessels, while the noise is heard by the blood flow in the vessels, which passes near the eardrum, or with other structures of the inner ear. Most often, a certain pathological process is a provoking factor.
However, this noise is secondary, as it is caused by a certain disease. If the appropriate therapy for this disease is carried out, the intensity of the sound will decrease or disappear altogether. Everything will depend on the reason that caused it.
In some cases, the symptom is characterized as primary. Then it is considered idiopathic tinnitus. What does it say? And the fact that the cause of tinnitus was never found out.
Classification
Tinnitus (tinnitus) can be:
- Primary or idiopathic tinnitus. Hearing loss may accompany it. But it can also be a completely independent manifestation. The cause of this condition has not been found out, what prevents the appointment of adequate treatment.
- Secondary. It can be a symptom of some other disease, and not an independent disease. The cause of buzzing in the ear may be a lesion in the structures of the hearing organ itself, as well as pathologies of the heart and blood vessels, brain, pathways.
- Recent. According to the patient, tinnitus manifests itself as discomfort and anxiety for less than six months.
- Permanent. It is considered as such if it continues to disturb a person for more than six months.
- Pushing. With this variant of tinnitus, there is a pronounced decrease in the quality of life of the subject, and this can significantly impair human he alth. As a rule, because of such a sound in the ears, the patient turns to doctors for medical help, since tinnitus seriously interferes with normal life. Sometimes idiopathic tinnitus occurs after shooting.
- An unobtrusive option. In patients with this variant of tinnitus, life does not change much. They may not go to the doctors for years, because because of such noise, significant discomfort does not arise. However, in some patients, the desire to learn more about the causes, possible therapy and the further development of this disease still appears.
How is the differential diagnosis of tinnitus
Tinnitus can occur with various diseases of the auditory analyzer. In this case, inflammatory processes lead to tinnitus, and in addition, disturbances in the outflow of sulfur from the ear canal. In the event that water has entered the ear canal, transient, short-term tinnitus may appear. Sometimes there is an excess of sulfur, this also leads to an unpleasant sound in the hearing organs.
As diagnostic measures for these reasons, an anamnesis and complaints are used, and otoscopy is also performed. To alleviate the condition, it makes sense to remove excess sulfur, which is usually done by washing.
Inflammatory nature of the lesion
The inflammatory nature of the lesion in the structures of the ear also often accompanies tinnitus. In most cases, there are no difficulties during differential diagnosis, since, in addition to tinnitus, patients experience pain, which is accompanied by general intoxication. Body temperature often rises.
Ménière's disease
Such an ailment as Meniere's disease is often accompanied by noise in the ears or in one ear. Finding the difference between this disease and the idiopathic variant is quite simple. Meniere's disease, in addition to noise, leads to a person's severe dizziness, impaired coordination of movements, loss of a sense of balance. If the patient has idiopathic tinnitus, then there are usually no such symptoms.
Heart and vascular disease and tinnitus
Tinnitusoften accompanied by diseases of the cardiovascular system. The most common cause of pathology in such cases is hypertension. Sounds in the ears cause the noise of the movement of blood through the vessels, if the blood pressure rises significantly, it becomes louder. Often rings in the right ear or in the left.
Also one of the possible causes is atherosclerosis. In vessels affected by this process, elasticity is lost. If, in addition, there are plaques, the turbulent blood flow becomes even greater, which leads to the appearance of tinnitus. And here the same pattern - the higher the blood pressure, the stronger the sound.
Diagnosis in such cases is also not difficult - idiopathic tinnitus is not accompanied by a rise in blood pressure. An instrumental research method (such as ultrasound or arteriography) will also be useful. If the patient has idiopathic murmur, then no signs of atherosclerotic vascular damage can be detected, and the lipid profile will be normal.
Tinnitus in pathologies of the nervous system and differential diagnosis with primary noise
Acoustic neuroma and neurofibromatosis type 2 can be considered a common cause of noise in neurology. At the same time, sound in the ears is caused by benign tumors, which simply compress adjacent anatomical structures, and this leads to the development of characteristic signs. Often pulsates in the ear, but does not hurt.
Tinnitus may periodically disappear for a while, and then return. Patients often experience varioustypes of disorders in the work of cranial nerves. This may manifest itself in different ways. It is possible that there are pain sensations, as well as paresthesias in the area where the innervation of the compressed nerve is observed (manifestations occur most often on the same side where the neurinoma is located).
Other manifestations depend on localization and features of growth. For example, speech is often disturbed, the sensitivity of the language is lost, and pathological reflexes appear. All these clinical manifestations are absent in the case of primary (idiopathic) tinnitus. The presence of a tumor is usually confirmed by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.
So we found out what it is - idiopathic tinnitus.
Performing drug and non-drug therapy
Primary tinnitus can be difficult to treat because it's not entirely clear why the sensations occur in the first place. If, in the presence of secondary tinnitus, it is possible to deal with the underlying pathology, and this will help reduce or even eliminate tinnitus, then with the secondary, everything is much more complicated and uncertain.
It is advisable to use pharmacological as well as non-pharmacological treatments for idiopathic tinnitus:
- Sound healing can be applied. For this, a device is used that creates a constant sound background (surf, rain sounds, etc.). This causes the tinnitus to subside, as it is usually more intense in absolute silence.
- Sometimes, especially against the background of hearing loss, not badHearing aids give the effect, sometimes allowing you to cut off extraneous sounds.
- When a patient has primary tinnitus, it is important to use psychotherapeutic methods, which leads to an improvement in the patient's quality of life.
- Sometimes a positive effect occurs due to the fact that antidepressants, for example, tricyclics (Amitriptyline), were prescribed in a timely manner.
- Some patients feel better when taking anticonvulsants (this may include Clonazepam or Gabapentin), antihistamines, and even conventional non-narcotic analgesics.
Conclusions
Thus, tinnitus is considered idiopathic if, after all the research, the cause of tinnitus has not been found. Sometimes this pathology is very difficult to control, since the mechanism for the occurrence of sound has not been elucidated. If a person has this symptom, it is imperative to get medical help. Of course, it may not be possible to completely get rid of tinnitus, but it will be possible to reduce its manifestations and improve the quality of life.
Tinnitus, or tinnitus, is a fairly common symptom, especially in the elderly. We found out that other diseases can lead to this unpleasant condition, that is, it can be secondary. Or arise on its own and then it is considered idiopathic tinnitus. What it is, it is important to find out in advance.
Only with a timely visit to the doctor, an accurately formulated complaint about the discomfort that has arisen,correct diagnosis and careful treatment can produce a positive result in most cases. It is clear that it will be difficult to get rid of the symptom if the cause of its appearance is never identified. We looked at the causes of tinnitus and the drugs for treatment.
