Morgan : Hello Doctor, for eight days I have had ringing in both ears. This has never happened to me and I’m afraid of having something serious…
Dr. Martine Perez: Can you tell me under what circumstances these buzzing started? Is this the first time?
Morgan : Yes. I happen to be quite stressed about my job and to relax I went to a rock concert with some friends. The sound was very loud. Some had brought plugs for their ears, I had none. As I left, I could still hear the music ringing out. I thought it was no big deal. But since then the buzzing hasn’t stopped. And I’m afraid it will never end.
Dr. Martine Perez: You have tinnitus, these are noises that we hear in the ears without having been emitted by an external source. This tinnitus at your age is often linked to acoustic trauma. This is the case for you, apparently. The sound perceived with tinnitus can resemble buzzing, whistling, ringing, clicking… I will nevertheless examine your ears with an otoscope, because sometimes it happens that a wax blockage or ear infection can lead to tinnitus .
I will also measure your blood pressure: too high blood pressure can also be the cause of such buzzing. I forgot to ask you: don’t you have vertigo?
Morgan : Absolutely not.
Dr. Martine Perez: On examination, your ears and eardrum are strictly normal, no cerumen plug, no inflammation. Your blood pressure is 12/7, which is normal. Your tinnitus is due to the sounds of the rock concert, which have altered sensory cells in the inner ear. These altered cells induce “parasitic” signals that the brain cannot distinguish from those produced by outside sounds. This tinnitus disappears in a few weeks. But be careful to protect your ears well, no earphones, no loud music. Repeated exposure to excessively loud sounds can contribute to premature aging of hearing and lead to deafness in young adults.
Morgan : So it doesn’t matter? There is no treatment ?
Dr. Martine Perez: It does not matter, but I insist, you must now protect your hearing, with the wearing of earplugs, if you are again exposed to deafening noises or loud music. If your buzzing is keeping you up at night, put on soft music in the room and you won’t hear it anymore. If in three months there is no improvement, then it will be necessary to consult an ENT.
To know : the main causes of tinnitus are exposure to excessive noise, aging of the inner ear, Ménière’s disease, or the use of certain medications, such as antibiotics (aminoglycosides), anti-inflammatories (indomethacin)… Sometimes no specific cause is identified. In general, tinnitus affects both ears. When they only affect one, or if they are associated with neurological disorders, the advice of an ENT doctor is essential.
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