Constant Ringing in Ears - Know The Reasons Behind It!

Tinnitus is a disorder which is characterized by a constant perception of a ringing noise in the ears. This is not the condition in itself, rather it signals some other underlying condition such as an ear injury or age related hearing loss. It is not a serious condition, although the symptoms can worsen with age. If you are affected by this disorder, you might experience or ‘hear’ a constant ringing sensation in the ears, even if there are no external sources of noise. These sounds could range from being a buzzing, ringing, to a hissing sound. This condition has mighty chances of interfering with your daily routine.
It is classified into two types:

1. Objective tinnitus: This disorder is caused by muscle contractions or a blood vessel problem.
2. Subjective tinnitus: The more commonly occurring type, it is caused by damage to the auditory nerves or regions of the brain that interpret sound.

 Although tinnitus is often associated with hearing loss, it does not cause the loss, nor does a hearing loss cause tinnitus. In fact, some people with tinnitus experience no difficulty hearing, and in a few cases they even become so acutely sensitive to sound (hyperacusis) that they must take steps to muffle or mask external noises.

Some instances of tinnitus are caused by infections or blockages in the ear, and the tinnitus can disappear once the underlying cause is treated. Frequently, however, tinnitus continues after the underlying condition is treated. In such a case, other therapies -- both conventional and alternative -- may bring significant relief by either decreasing or covering up the unwanted sound.

What Causes Tinnitus?

Prolonged exposure to loud sounds is the most common cause of tinnitus. Up to 90% of people with tinnitus have some level of noise-induced hearing loss. The noise causes permanent damage to the sound-sensitive cells of the cochlea, a spiral-shaped organ in the inner ear. Carpenters, pilots, rock musicians, street-repair workers, and landscapers are among those whose jobs put them at risk, as are people who work with chain saws, guns, or other loud devices or who repeatedly listen to loud music. A single exposure to a sudden extremely loud noise can also cause tinnitus.
A variety of other conditions and illnesses can lead to tinnitus, including:

• Blockages of the ear due to a buildup of wax, an ear infection, or rarely, a benign tumour of the nerve that allows us to hear (auditory nerve)
• Certain drugs -- most notably aspirin, several types of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, sedatives, and antidepressants, as well as quinine medications; tinnitus is cited as a potential side effect for about 200 prescription and nonprescription drugs.
• The natural aging process, which can cause deterioration of the cochlea or other parts of the ear
• Meniere's disease, which affects the inner part of the ear
• Otosclerosis, a disease that results in stiffening of the small bones in the middle ear
• Other medical conditions such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, circulatory problems,anemia, allergies, an under-active thyroid gland, autoimmune disease, and diabetes.
• Neck or jaw problems, such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome
• Injuries to the head and neck

Tinnitus can worsen in some people if they drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, drink caffeinated beverages, or eat certain foods. For reasons not yet entirely clear to researchers, stress and fatigue seem to worsen tinnitus.

 
Treatment
The treatment of this condition begins with the identification of the underlying condition, if any. The various treatment options are –

1. Removal of earwax: Excess earwax has gotten rid of which can relieve symptoms of tinnitus.
2. Suppression of noise: Certain machines, known as white noise machines, produce random sounds such as the sound of rain or the sounds of waves, thus eliminating the ‘hearing’ of sounds which are common to this condition.
3. Medications: Certain medications such as alprazolam and nortriptyline can help reduce the severity of the symptoms.

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In a clinical study of patients in the United States and China, researchers found that a low-cost, portable, battery-powered micro-endoscope developed by Rice University bioengineers could eventually eliminate the need for costly biopsies for many patients undergoing standard endoscopic screening for esophageal cancer.

The research is available online in the journal Gastroenterology and was co-authored by researchers from nearly a dozen institutions that include Rice, Baylor College of Medicine, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the National Cancer Institute.

The clinical study, which involved 147 U.S. and Chinese patients undergoing examination for potentially malignant squamous cell tumors, explored whether Rice's low-cost, high-resolution fiber-optic imaging system could reduce the need for unnecessary biopsies when used in combination with a conventional endoscope -- the worldwide standard of care for esophageal cancer diagnoses.
The study involved patients from two U.S. and two Chinese hospitals: Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the Cancer Institute and Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing and First University Hospital in Jilin, China.

In the study, all 147 patients with suspect lesions were examined with both a traditional endoscope and Rice's micro-endoscope. Biopsies were obtained based upon the results of the traditional endoscopic exam.

A pathology exam revealed that more than half of those receiving biopsies -- 58 percent -- did not have high-grade precancer or cancer. The researchers found that the microendoscopic exam could have spared unnecessary biopsies for about 90 percent of the patients with benign lesions.

"For patients, biopsies are stressful and sometimes painful," said lead researcher Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Rice's Stanley C. Moore Professor of Bioengineering, professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of Rice 360°: Institute for Global Health Technologies. "In addition, in low-resource settings, pathology costs frequently exceed endoscopy costs. So the microendoscope could both improve patient outcomes and provide a significant cost-saving advantage if used in conjunction with a traditional endoscope."

When examined under a microscope, cancerous and precancerous cells typically appear different from healthy cells. The study of cellular structures is known as histology, and a histological analysis is typically required for an accurate diagnosis of both the type and stage of a cancerous tumor.

To determine whether a biopsy is needed for a histological exam, health professionals often use endoscopes, small cameras mounted on flexible tubes that can be inserted into the body to visually examine an organ or tissue without surgery. Rice's high-resolution micro-endoscope uses a 1-millimeter-wide fiber-optic cable that is attached to the standard endoscope. The cable transmits images to a high-powered fluorescence microscope, and the endoscopist uses a tablet computer to view the microscope's output. The microendoscope provides images with similar resolution to traditional histology and allows endoscopists to see individual cells and cell nuclei in lesions suspected of being cancerous.

By providing real-time histological data to endoscopists, Rice's microendoscope can help rule out malignancy in cases that would otherwise require a biopsy.

"While traditional endoscopy can rule out malignancy and eliminate the need for biopsies for some patients, in a significant number of cases the difference between malignant and benign lesions only becomes apparent through a histological analysis," said study co-author Dr. Sharmila Anandasabapathy, professor of medicine and gastroenterology at Baylor College of Medicine and director of Baylor Global Initiatives and the Baylor Global Innovation Center.

Richards-Kortum's lab specializes in the development of low-cost optical imaging and spectroscopy tools to detect cancer and infectious disease at the point of care. Her research group is particularly interested in developing technology for low-resource settings, and the microendoscope was developed as part of that effort. It is battery-operated, inexpensive to operate and requires very little training. Results from the clinical study verified that both experienced and novice endoscopists could use the microendoscope to make accurate assessments of the need for a biopsy.

Clinical studies of Rice's microendoscope are either planned or underway for a dozen types of cancer including cervical, bladder, oral and colon cancers.

"More than half of cancer deaths today occur in the developing world, often in low-resource areas," Anandasabapathy said. "The World Health Organization and other important international bodies have called for increased global focus on noncommunicable diseases like cancer, and Rice's microendoscope is a great example of what the right kind of technology can do to change health care in low-resource countries."

 THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.






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