Keypoints
-
1.
Damage in the external, middle, or internal ear can contribute to the emergence of tinnitus because of the hearing loss it causes.
-
2.
The two components of the external ear are the auricle and the outer auditory canal.
-
(a)
The occlusion of the ear canal produces an alteration in sound transmission that may cause tinnitus to develop.
-
(b)
Ear canal inflammation may cause tinnitus.
-
(a)
-
3.
The middle ear is an impedance transformer and the site of several pathologies that all may cause tinnitus.
-
(a)
Acute otitis is accompanied by fever, strong pain in the ear, conductive hearing loss, and discharge from the ear.
-
(b)
Otitis media with effusion is a chronic presence of seromucous secretions in the middle ear cavity without signs of acute inflammation.
-
(c)
Otitis media is an inflammation of the middle ear causing conductive hearing loss.
-
(d)
Cholesteatoma is a mass of keratinizing squamous cells or epithelial debris that may occur in the middle ear cavity; it can erode body structures.
-
(e)
Otosclerosis involves a bony formation around the stapes, impeding its motion.
-
(a)
-
4.
The first symptom of otosclerosis is often tinnitus.
-
5.
Tinnitus often occurs in association with hearing loss of cochlear origin.
-
(a)
Acoustic trauma is one of the most common risk factors for the development of tinnitus and one of the major causes of permanent sensorineural hearing loss.
-
(b)
Administration of ototoxic drugs can cause hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo or dizziness.
-
(c)
Age-related changes can cause tinnitus and hearing loss.
-
(d)
Tinnitus is one of the three symptoms that define Ménière’s disease.
-
(e)
Changes (decrease) in cochlear blood perfusion can lead to cochlear damage with hearing loss and tinnitus.
-
(f)
Abrupt change in barometric pressure (barotraumas) can cause damage to the cochlea and may lead to tinnitus.
-
(a)
-
6.
Hearing loss due to ear diseases may trigger a series of reactions in the central nervous system, which leads to the tinnitus.
-
7.
Head trauma can lead to tinnitus, and balance disorders are very common after mild to severe head traumas.
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Abbreviations
- CF:
-
Characteristic frequency
- CNS:
-
Central nervous system
- dB:
-
Decibel
- Hz:
-
Hertz
- IHC:
-
Inner hair cell
- kHz:
-
Kilohertz
- OHC:
-
Outer hair cell
- SGN:
-
Spiral ganglion neuron
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Baracca, G., Del Bo, L., Ambrosetti, U. (2011). Tinnitus and Hearing Loss. In: Møller, A.R., Langguth, B., De Ridder, D., Kleinjung, T. (eds) Textbook of Tinnitus. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-145-5_35
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