What Causes Tinnitus?

Tinnitus may be a symptom of a variety of ear disorders or other medical conditions. Usually it is difficult for doctors to determine the exact cause of tinnitus.

Many disorders of the ear, including a problem with one or more of the five parts of the hearing mechanism, may cause tinnitus. Tinnitus may also be a symptom associated with:

• Blocked ear canal

• Blocked eustachian tube

• Ear infection

  For further information about ear infection, go to Middle Ear Infection.

• Otosclerosis: a common ear disorder characterized by unusual stiffness or lack of flexibility of the tine bones of the middle ear. This condition frequently causes tinnitus.

• Meniere's disease: a disorder of the inner ear characterized by recurrent dizziness, deafness, and tinnitus. In 80 to 85 percent of cases, only one ear is affected.

• Damage caused by certain drugs, including aspirin and certain antibiotics

• Hearing loss

  For further information about hearing loss, go to Hearing Loss.

• Trauma or injury resulting from a blast or explosion

• Temporomandibular joint syndrome or TMJ: pain and other symptoms affecting the head, jaw, and face. TMJ is believed to be caused when the jaw joints and muscles and ligaments that support them are not working properly.

Tinnitus may also occur along with certain other medical conditions, such as:

• Anemia, or a condition in which blood levels of hemoglobin, the part of red blood cells that carries oxygen to nourish the tissues of the body, are below normal

  For further information about anemia, go to Anemai.

• Hypertension, or high blood pressure

  For further information about high blood pressure, go to High Blood Pressure (Hypertension).

• Arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries

• Hypothyroidism, or low levels of thyroid hormone production

  For further information about hypothyroidism, go to Hypothyroidism.

• Presbycusis: hearing loss and other hearing problems related to advanced age.

• Head injury

Is Tinnitus Hereditary?

There are a few rare inherited inner ear disorders, such as neurofibromatosis in which tinnitus may be a feature. However, in the vast majority of cases, this condition does not seem to run in families or be inherited as a genetic trait.