Tinnitus is a condition when a noise is heard in the ears or head without any external noise. It is often intermittent and most of us will have experienced brief spells of tinnitus after prolonged loud music. The noise may vary from a low frequency hum to a high frequency whistle and often varies in pitch. Most patients find that environmental noise drowns out (masks) their tinnitus so it only becomes troublesome in quiet surroundings, often at night. The irritation of tinnitus can be severe but with correct management it should be possible to control it. Often the anxiety that something else is causing the tinnitus makes the symptoms worse so thorough examination and investigation is needed to allow treatment to be effective.
Sometimes a pulsing noise is heard in the ear which is termed pulsatile tinnitus and may need further investigation, though it is rarely a symptom of any underlying sinister condition.
