News News Blog Health: Tinnitus - effects and treatments

Tinnitus can be uncomfortable

Ears some sound advice on tinnitus.

 

WHETHER it’s a whistle, constant hiss, low-frequency buzz or high-pitched ringing, the sounds caused by tinnitus are all in our heads.

The word tinnitus is derived from the Latin verb tinnire, meaning “to ring” and is clinically defined as the involuntary perception of sound that originates from within the ears or the head.

Some people report hearing more than one sound or more rarely the repetition of parts of songs.

Tinnitus affects about six million people in the UK and about 600,000 sufferers say it severely affects their quality of life. Although it can affect anyone at any stage tinnitus is most common in the over 40s.

For most patients, tinnitus is linked to some form of hearing loss or a medical condition that reduces hearing sensitivity. When we lose our hearing we tend to lose sensitivity to certain pitches, typically higher-pitched notes first.

The hearing part of the brain that usually interprets these sounds becomes starved of stimulation and the nerve cells in the brain begin to fire spontaneously causing sufferers to hear a sound that is not actually there.

As a result of the condition, one in 10 people with the condition experience debilitating depression, anxiety and sleep deprivation, often increasing the risk of suicide when combined with other factors.

 

There are a number of therapies that can help to reduce the effects  

There is currently no cure for tinnitus but there are some treatments

In some of the worst cases I’ve seen, patients have to be hospitalised for their own safety because the incessant noise has led them to contemplate suicide. Research shows that treating people with the first signs of tinnitus means a better outcome for them later.

But even though tinnitus accounts for 750,000 GP visits per year in England, due to the lack of treatment options, 63 per cent of sufferers are told to live with it, leaving many feeling desperate.

The Department of Health introduced a good practice guide in 2009 for the appointment of tinnitus services but there is still a lack of specialist care available.

There is currently no cure for tinnitus, however, there are a number of therapies that can help to reduce the effects.

 

Tinnitus can affect anyone at any age, but it is more common in over 40s

Treatments are designed to work at either the origin of the phantom sounds or on the negative effect they have on the patient.

HEARING AIDS

These devices can help to reduce the prominence of a patient’s tinnitus signal while improving their hearing ability.

Hearing aids have become a standard intervention for those with bothersome tinnitus and hearing loss.

DESENSITISATION THERAPY

This uses a more sophisticated combination of hearing aids alongside relaxation and counselling which help patients manage the condition more effectively while encouraging the brain to get used to their tinnitus sound.

By doing this, the patient becomes less sensitive to the tinnitus over time.

ACOUSTIC NEUROMODULATION

This type of sound-based therapy works on the nerve cells within the hearing centre of the brain and is being used in a growing number of clinics in the UK and Europe.

It is an innovative therapy that reduces the hyperactivity of the nerve cells producing the phantom sounds and over time reduces the intensity and loudness of the tinnitus.

MAGNETIC STIMULATION

This is a therapeutic option that utilises magnetic fields to stimulate different brain areas.

An electromagnetic coil is placed in close proximity to the patient’s head.

This produces a strong magnetic field that is targeted to stimulate nerve cells in the hearing part of the brain in order to affect tinnitus perception and relieve associated symptoms.

There are a number of studies that have reported encouraging results but this therapy is yet to become available in the UK.

COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY (CBT)

A form of psychological counselling designed to reduce the patient’s negative emotional reaction to the tinnitus noise.

CBT has been reported to reduce tinnitus-related distress in clinical trial reviews.

  

Tinnitus causes patients to hear more than one sound

SURGERY

A small number of patients experience a pulsing or clicking noise which runs in time with the heartbeat.

This is a condition called pulsatile tinnitus which can be caused by blood vessels that have become narrowed within the head or neck generating sounds as blood flows through them.

Pulsatile tinnitus can sometimes be helped by surgical procedures that are designed to remove fatty deposits or tumours.

NEW DRUG TREATMENTS

There are no drug treatments available for tinnitus just yet, although UK trials are underway.

The currently running QUIET-1 study, aims to determine whether a new drug compound called AUT00063 has the potential to reduce tinnitus over four-weeks in comparison with a placebo.

The trial will be conducted at approximately 14 different hospital sites across the UK and is in the process of recruiting participants (visit www.autifonytherapeutics. com for details).

For a free self-help guide and information pack on tinnitus visit www.thetinnitusclinic.co.uk or call 0203 326 1777.