Are you going mad with that tinnitus in your ears? Discover whether your tinnitus is inherited or what the cause might be.
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the name referring to a person’s perception of a ringing, droning, or buzzing in the ear with no external stimulus present to explain this sensation. The direct translation of the word tinnitus is”ringing like a bell”.”
How will tinnitus impact my daily living?
Tinnitus can be frustrating and can interrupt intimate connections. It’s not a disease in and of itself, but it’s a symptom of other ailments or conditions in your life such as hearing loss or injury. You might hear tinnitus in one ear or both ears and it can hinder your ability to concentrate.
Regardless of how you’re experiencing tinnitus, it is always disruptive. Sleep loss, anxiety, and even depression can also be caused by tinnitus symptoms.
What are the causes of tinnitus?
Tinnitus can be constant or temporary. Short term varieties of tinnitus are usually triggered by extended exposure to loud noises, such as a rock concert. Tinnitus has been known to co-occur with several different medical issues.
Here are a few conditions that generally accompany tinnitus:
- Excessive earwax build-up
- Infection of the inner ear
- Head or neck injuries
- Exposure to loud sound for prolonged periods of time
- Bruxism, generally known as teeth grinding caused by temporomandibular joint issues, or TMJ disorder
- Meniere’s Disease
- Hearing loss associated with aging
- A benign tumor, called acoustic neuroma, grows on cranial nerve
- Inner ear cell damage and irritation of the delicate hairs used to conduct sound, causing arbitrary transmissions of sound to your brain
- Depression or anxiety
- Changes in the composition of the ear bone
- Several medications
- Injuries that affect nerves of the ear
Could I have inherited this ringing in my ears from my parents?
Tinnitus isn’t directly hereditary. But the symptoms can be affected by your genes. You can, for instance, inherit a tendency for your ear bone to change. These changes are related to abnormal bone growth that can be passed down through family lines. Here are some other conditions you might have inherited that can cause tinnitus:
- Certain diseases
- Predisposition to anxiety or depression
- Being prone to inner ear infections or wax build-up
You can’t directly inherit tinnitus, but there are disorders that become breeding grounds for tinnitus which you may have inherited.
If your family has a history of tinnitus, you should definitely come in for an evaluation.
