Ear Infection and Tinnitus

If your ear infection is recent, that is, if you do not have a chronic condition, it may be accompanied by tinnitus with infection even rare. In case of a acute ear infection (acute otitis media, AOM), treatments for infection precede tinnitus. Middle ear infection generally disappears within a month at the latest. If not disappears, a number of surgical procedures can be performed to overcome this problem. Appearance of tinnitus with the effect of infection in ear on hearing system, even rare, is not a matter to be worried about at the first place. When talking about ear infection, it must be clearly identified. Because there might be many different diseases about the ear. If you still have tinnitus even after you have made sure that all infection treatments are completed and infection is no longer present, then tinnitus requires more importance. There is a possibility that tinnitus becomes permanent one or one-and-half months later.

In another case, with the effects of middle ear infections, whether by viruses or bacterial microorganisms, on inner ear structures, a situation may arise called as labyrinthitis. Severe dizziness occurs generally when inner ear labyrinth systems are infected or affected. Tinnitus might be seen in such cases, even rare. Tinnitus can be permanent in case of that inner ear infection, named as labyrinthitis. Labyrinth treatments should be done carefully. Those treatments are very significant. The number of the cases of permanent tinnitus is very few with careful treatments.

Another inflammatory disease of the ear is "chronic otitis media" (COM) where ear inflammation is now chronic and an inflammatory process is present. It's been months since the beginning of the COM. Additionally, there might be a condition that can be considered as a softi-tissued non-malignant tumour with COM, usually called cholesteatoma. This tissue called as cholestatoma has a destructive structure, although it is not malignant. It spreads by dissolving the bone structures whether middle ear cavity, other inner ear or the mastoid area behind the ear. Neighbouring structures, affected by these bone erosions, may cause tinnitus to occur. Bone erosions up to the sigmoid sinus, which is the curvature of the main vein passing through the ear adjacently, are felt as vascular tinnitus. This is generally in the form of humming. Whether chronic otitis media or cholestatom, erosions of the bones in middle ear sometimes reach the inner ear structures. Protruding bone walls of the inner ear structures can not form an anatomical barrier enough, in which case the infection and toxic conditions, which are the results of inflammatory destruction, may cause tinnitus by affecting the inner ear.

Whether after chronic or acute ear infections, a permanent hole might resist in eardrum. Again, this hole can cause tinnitus and mild hearing loss even rare. If perforation and tinnitus coincide in time, this indicates the presence of tinnitus due to perforation. However, if tinnitus was also present in advance, it is important to make a clear determination of this condition by considering that there may be a tinnitus depending on other auditory regions. Test results are important in the course of treatment. If it is related to eardrum, primarily the membrane must be repaired. If not related, treatments become prominent.

It is necessary to make detailed analysis of all these situations and diagnoses realistically. It must be investigated sufficiently and firstly treatments of ear infections must be handled. In such situations, tinnitus treatments go back in the second stage. It should not be noted that inadequate, careless and deficient treatments make ear infection progressive and cause tinnitus to be permanent. We primarily carry out evaluations in our treatment plan, if there is a tinnitus relating an inflammatory reason and ear infection is still active, we treat the ear infection firstly and start tinnitus treatment after results are seen. However, if the interaction of tinnitus on auditory channels is beyond the inflammation, i.e. if it has affected other parts of the system, then we prefer to have both treatments simultaneously. Our approach and treatment principles of course are determined according to the results from findings.