Tinnitus

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With

See, Play and Learn

• No links available

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Tinnitus is often described as a ringing in the ears. It also can sound like roaring, clicking, hissing, or buzzing. It may be soft or loud, high pitched or low pitched. You might hear it in either one or both ears.

Millions of Americans have tinnitus. People with severe tinnitus may have trouble hearing, working or even sleeping.

Causes of tinnitus include:

• Hearing loss in older people
• Exposure to loud noises
• Ear and sinus infections
• Heart or blood vessel problems
• Meniere's disease
• Brain tumors
• Hormonal changes in women
• Thyroid problems
• Certain medicines

Treatment depends on the cause. Treatments may include hearing aids, sound-masking devices, medicines, and ways to learn how to cope with the noise.

NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Start Here

• Noise Complaints: Taking On Tinnitus (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• Tinnitus (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• Tinnitus (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) Also in Spanish
• Why Are My Ears Ringing? (American Tinnitus Association)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Videonystagmography (VNG) (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Are There Treatments That Can Help Me? (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
• Ginkgo (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• Therapy and Treatment Options (American Tinnitus Association)

Living With

• Tinnitus Patient Navigator (American Tinnitus Association)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Tinnitus (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Tinnitus and COVID-19: effect of infection, vaccination, and the pandemic.
• Article: Association between gastroesophageal reflux disease and tinnitus in a nationwide population-based...
• Article: Clinical and audiological characteristics in adults with tinnitus in South Africa.
• Tinnitus -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Tinnitus Association
• Find an Audiologist (American Academy of Audiology)
• Find an ENT (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
• Support Group Directory (Vestibular Disorders Association)

Children

• Can Loud Music Hurt My Ears? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Tinnitus (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish