The document discusses tinnitus, its definition, effects, causes, and treatment options, emphasizing that it impacts over 50 million Americans. It highlights various causes of tinnitus across different parts of the ear and the central auditory system, along with treatment methods including audiologic assistance, sound therapy, and hearing instruments. Ultimately, it stresses the importance of seeking professional evaluation if experiencing tinnitus symptoms.

1. Tinnitus

2. Objectives
• Tinnitus:
o Definition
o Effects
o Causes
o Diagnosis
o Treatment

3. Audiology and Hearing Health
• Jewell Baggett-Strehlau, Au.D.
• 31 years of experience
• Provides diagnostic and tinnitus treatment
services
• Has personal experience of tinnitus from an
airbag deployment

4. “….over 50 million Americans experience tinnitus…”1
American Tinnitus Association
1

5. Pronunciation of Tinnitus
Tinnitus can be pronounced one of two ways.
Tin-NIGHT-us
TIN-it-us

6. Definition
“A sensation of noise (as a ringing or roaring)
that is caused by a bodily condition….”
My ears whistle and buzz continually,
day and night...such a condition
is truly frightful.
-Beethoven 1801
Merriam Webster

7. Effects
He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony
with the universe.
- Marcus Aurelius
(Roman emperor 161 to 180)
• Loss of Inner Silence
• Emotional Upset and Panic
• Sleep Disturbance
• Weak and Vulnerable feelings

8. Effects
Reading in a silent atmosphere is a common technique
used to help release tension and ‘tune-out’ the
busyness of everyday hustle and bustle.
Tinnitus makes it difficult to enjoy a peaceful
atmosphere. The condition is an imposition and
interferes with a variety of normal daily activities.

9. Causes
• External Ear • Middle Ear
• Inner Ear • Central Ear • Auditory Pathways

10. Causes – Outer Ear
• Blockage
• Reverberations and awareness
to body’s breathing
• Impacted
Wax
• Disturbance of the ear drum
• Debris
• Loose
hair or foreign debris
disturbs ear drum

11. Causes – Middle Ear
• Pulsatile Tinnitus
• May be completely
synchronized with heartbeat
• Plugging canal
increases intensity
• ‘Objective’ – clinician can
listen in using stethoscope
• Vascular Tumor (paraganglioma)
• Erode bones surrounding
inner ear

12. Causes – Middle Ear
• Infections
• Excess fluid from blockage
of Eustachian tube
• Otosclerosis
• Abnormal bone growth
• Muscle Spasms
• Stapedius muscle
• Non-pulsating
• Objective

13. Causes – Inner Ear
• Noise Trauma
• Medications
• Ototoxic drugs
• Ménière's Disease
• Aging- Presbycusis

14. Cause – Central Auditory Pathways
• Tumors
• Brainstem or
cerebellopontine tumors
• Benign in nature, but proximity
to nerve or blood vessel
is the issue
• Vascular Loop in Brainstem
• Hearing and balance nerves
happen to coil near the nerve
• Debatable

15. Treatment
• No Silver Bullet for Tinnitus
• Many Causes = Many Treatments
• Surgery – Tumors
• Mixed Results
• Medications
• Inner Ear Disease
• Dietary Restriction
• Sodium Restriction

16. Treatment – Music and Therapy
• Induce relaxation
• Muscle relaxation
• Slowing heart rate
• Decreased blood pressure
Most common and effective of the self-help
treatments

17. Treatment – Audiologist
Tinnitus is commonly associated with
sensory or neural hearing loss
Your Audiologist is the best resource
for Tinnitus diagnosis and treatment.

18. Treatment – Audiologist
Tests to attempt to measure tinnitus
• Tinnitus Loudness: level of loudness that
matches the tinnitus
• Pitch Matching: frequency that best matches
the pitch of the tinnitus

19. Treatment – Sound Treatment
• Attention and Distraction
• Only focus on one thing at a time
• Habituation
• Body’s ability to ‘tune out’ signal
• Masking
• Oldest treatment
• Cover the sound

20. Treatment – Hearing Instruments
Ninety percent of patients with severe
tinnitus experience some hearing loss…
• Overall sound is decreased
• Tinnitus unaffected thus it is overstated
• Hearing instruments decrease tinnitus
• 50% express reduction (Surr et al., 1985)
• Built in maskers
Oregon Health Science University

21. Treatment – Hearing Instruments
Tonotopic map
• Frequency coding of brain
• Areas around damaged frequency
‘turn-up’ to compensate
Hearing Instruments can help bring the
damaged areas back to normal levels.

22. Tinnitus
Tinnitus has many different causes.
Due to the high correlation of hearing loss
and tinnitus, hearing instruments can help to
mitigate the symptom of Tinnitus.

23. First Step!
If you experience any signs of Tinnitus,
the first step is to schedule a screening
with your AudigyCertified® Professional!