Photo credit: Magda Ehlers
by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition
Beth Griffin at the American Tinnitus Association let us know that this week is Tinnitus Awareness Week. The ATA arranged a series of recorded lectures to run all week, and a schedule is available online. There is a live lecture on Sunday, Feb. 9 that requires pre-registration.
Tinnitus, commonly known as ringing in the ears, afflicts approximately 50 million Americans. There are many causes of tinnitus, from head trauma to drugs to ear infections and tumors, but the most common cause is noise exposure. Sometimes this can be a single loud noise exposure, as happened to me on New Year’s Eve in 2007. Other times, noise-induced tinnitus is associated with hearing loss that developed over many years. Some studies suggest that 90% of people with tinnitus also have hearing loss.
As best as I can tell, unlike for noise-induced hearing loss, there are no scientific studies correlating a specific amount of noise exposure with noise-induced tinnitus. Most experts think that preventing noise-induced hearing loss will also prevent noise-induced tinnitus. That’s easy and inexpensive. As I often write, if it sounds loud, it’s too loud. Turn down the volume if you can, leave the noisy environment or use hearing protection.
I wish I had known that back on New Year’s Eve in 2007.
