Unilateral Tinnitus – Causes and Treatments

September 27, 2010

Tinnitus may affect one or both ears. Bilateral if it affects both ears; and if it affects one, it’s called unilateral. Tinnitus could be heard of only by the affected unless it is a pulsatile type of tinnitus. A pulsatile tinnitus is when the sound could not only be heard of by the sufferer but also by a person near him. This is a rare condition though. It only has 3 percent of the total number of those having tinnitus problem. And among the 2 types of tinnitus, it is the unilateral tinnitus that is more common.

A unilateral tinnitus is also known for other names like buzzing in one ear or tinnitus in the left ear. Impacted earwax could cause a tinnitus problem. To attend to this concern have it removed by a physician. Having it removed on your own or by another person may cause further damage in the ear. Doctors have special instruments to clean and suck out this impacted earwax safely. An ear infection may cause a unilateral tinnitus. The problem with treating this condition is that some medications might be ototoxic which causes the problem. More of these drugs include anti-depressants, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, ibuprofen, anti-malarial, oral contraceptives and chemotherapy.

A severe trauma in the head may bring about a problem in the components of the middle ear. In effect of these damaged nerves is that it may send wrong data to the brain. The external sounds such as the high decibel and the constant exposure to loud sounds will damage the hair cells, causing then a unilateral tinnitus. When normal, these hair cells on the cochlea transform sound waves into electrochemical currents relaying auditory information to the brain. But if the factors damage it, it will send falls signal to the brain, thus resulting to a tinnitus.

Stress, though haven’t been directly proven to have cause tinnitus but can still be a cause of a unilateral tinnitus case. Study has shown that excessive stress may cause a chemical imbalance in the body which in turn can turn fluid levels in the inner ear to be unstable, thus resulting to a tinnitus. Diets must be taken completely. As for those who have tinnitus, avoiding salty diet and high caffeine intake, too much alcohol, too much fat, and nicotine should be eyed for. These could increase the possibility of a tinnitus case.

A simple problem may go worse if it is not treated well, just as unilateral tinnitus. This could lead to a permanent hearing loss if it is left unattended. A proper medical evaluation would be the best approach for the condition. Taking matters into our own hands, especially when we don’t know the exact cause might keep the matter worse. Proper medical evaluation will result to a proper treatment. There are so many ways of how to treat the unilateral tinnitus, as to what to treat would be the big question.


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.