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Tinnitus
may be defined as the sensation of sound in the
ear(s) or head not due to a source outside the
body. Causes of tinnitus include things such as
excessive noise exposure, acoustic trauma, tumors,
wax build-up, temporo-mandibular joint (the joint
that connects the lower jaw to the skull)
disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, thyroid
disease, heart problems, etc...
However,
more than 95% of the patients who experience
tinnitus do not have a medical condition. Tinnitus
and hearing loss can coexist but the correlation
between the two is not a strong one. In spite of
the above, if there is a hearing loss associated
with tinnitus, and there is No hyperacusis, using a
combination device (such as Widex Mind or Jazz Duo
Tranquil from GHI) can enhance treatment
outcome.
It
is incorrect to say that the presence of tinnitus
in a patient is due to the presence of a hearing
loss. There are many hearing impaired individuals
who do not experience tinnitus. Likewise, 30% of
the patients with TOTALLY normal hearing experience
the most troublesome tinnitus there is.
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