Tinnitus Awareness Week: Is Tinnitus a Disease or a Symptom?

What is tinnitus and what causes it?

Tinnitus is one of the most common hearing problems. It’s often described as a ringing in the ears, but not everyone experiences tinnitus in the same way. Some hear a buzzing sound, others describe whistling, hissing, roaring, squawking or even crickets. Tinnitus may appear in only one ear, or both, or in the head. 

Tinnitus is not a disease, but a symptom of an underlying condition such as ear injury, circulatory system disorder or hearing loss. Hearing loss and tinnitus are closely related, with 9 out of 10 tinnitus patients having a hearing loss.¹ It is assumed that hearing loss triggers the central auditory system to adapt and compensate which then results in tinnitus.

Are there different types of tinnitus? 

Subjective tinnitus is most common, where no-one else can hear the sound. Objective tinnitus, where the noise can be heard by others, is very rare.^1,2 Tinnitus may go away after a few days, or it can become persistent. 

What are the effects of tinnitus?

For many people tinnitus is a minor annoyance, but it can have a significant impact on quality of life.² Some find they can’t concentrate for long or have trouble sleeping. If untreated, tinnitus can lead to anxiety, stress and depression^3,4.

What help is available?

A hearing care professional will conduct a hearing assessment, assess the severity of tinnitus and the impact on quality of life to discuss together with the patient and other colleagues in a multidisciplinary team (e.g. ENTs) what kind of tinnitus management is suitable to increase quality of life.

Do hearing aids help?

The remarkable finding that most tinnitus patients also experience hearing loss has highlighted the dual impact that hearing interventions can have for these individuals. The hearing aid fitting gives the brain more natural auditory input to process. This helps reduce its focus on the internal sounds of tinnitus, making it less intrusive over time²

• by enhancing external sounds, hearing aids help shift attention away from the internal sounds of tinnitus. This can make the ringing, buzzing, or hissing less noticeable, especially in quiet environments.
• many hearing aids have specific programs or settings designed for tinnitus management. These can help mask tinnitus by applying low level noise which can be programmed to meet each patient’s unique needs.⁶
• Phonak’s Lyric in-ear hearing aid provides 24-hour amplification of external sounds even while the wearer sleeps. This constant amplification can provide relief as well as better sleep to tinnitus patients. ^8,9

How is tinnitus treated?

There’s no cure for tinnitus but it can be managed.⁵ Sonova’s Audiological Care business uses a holistic approach to self-management of tinnitus. While many tinnitus patients with hearing loss find relief through professionally fitted hearing aids, others may benefit further from advanced tinnitus management strategies.  

The current best practice is a patient-centered approach tailored to individal needs and combining:  

• A thorough individual tinnitus history
• Tinnitus education
• Sound therapies
• Advanced counseling such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which has been clinically proven to be effective and is considered the gold standard in tinnitus therapy.^{1,2, 7} 

The SilentCloud™ App* utilizes this combination to empower patients to manage their tinnitus from the comfort of their homes. The medical app creates a personalized treatment plan based on clinically validated assessments overseen by a tinnitus expert from our local brands for guidance and support. 

*Available currently in Belgium, Netherlands, Italy and Ireland. More countries coming soon.

Our expert hearing care professionals can recommend a wide range of devices and therapies that can reduce the burden of tinnitus.