Causation of Tinnitus

There are a couple hundred possibilities, but noise exposure and aging are most prevalent. Although others, such as medications or smoking can cause tinnitus.
Changes in the ear with or without hearing loss are almost always responsible. Damaged nerve cells in the inner ear produce abnormal signals, while the absence of the hair cells in the cochlea causes the brain to create tinnitus as added gain to make up for the lost signals from the ear.

A list of potential causations can be found on the American Tinnitus Association website. Rarely does a medical treatment actually reveres tinnitus; however, an Audiologist or Primary Care Physician can assess the condition and determine if further evaluation is indicated. Because tinnitus is benign in most cases, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgeons recommends that an MRI would typically be unnecessary. However, if tinnitus is pulsatile, in one ear, or a medical condition such as TMJ, an ear infection, or impacted wax is present, further evaluation is probable. I can point to a tumor in one ear or a head injury as the cause, but these have distinct findings and are rare. My tinnitus was caused by high blood pressure and is habituated. I took my own advice!