Tinnitus: A Brief Review of Causes, Mechanism, and Treatments

Abstract

Tinnitus is the perception of sound without an external source, commonly stated as a “buzzing” or “ringing” in the ears. The objective of this paper is to review the causes, mechanism, and treatment of tinnitus. The causes of tinnitus are hearing loss, somatosensory system dysfunction, and auditory cortex lesions. In most cases, serious underlying pathologies are rare. The most common cause is hearing loss. However, hearing loss does not always lead to tinnitus, and tinnitus patients do not always have hearing loss. The first is explained by the "inhibitory gating mechanism", and the latter that all tinnitus sufferers are assumed to have some degree of hearing impairment which is not sometimes detected by standard audiological examinations. Recent popular treatments are pharmacotherapy, education, counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, and sound therapy. Counseling should include information on the association between tinnitus and hearing loss, and should also discuss lifestyle factors that can have positive and negative effects on tinnitus management. The treatment goals should be aimed at symptomatic relief or the management of associated distress.