Hi,
This could be tinnitus. Tinnitus is the sensation of a sound in the ear or head that is not being produced by
an external source.
Exposure to loud noise at work may also cause tinnitus. If you work with pneumatic drills or in noisy
factories, you may be more at risk of having tinnitus.
Other possible causes of tinnitus can come from your ear, auditory nerve (which carries signals from your
inner ear to your brain), infections, side-effects of medicines you have taken and because of problems with
your jaw or teeth. These include:
Ménière's disease, which results from an increased pressure in the inner ear and also
causes deafness and vertigo
otosclerosis, a condition in which the small bones of the middle ear become stiff and immobile
ear infections and inflammation
hard wax blocking your ear
middle-ear infection (the type that's often known as "glue ear" in children)
acoustic neuroma, a benign (non-cancerous) tumour of the auditory nerve
high doses of medicines including aspirin, quinine and some antibiotics, water tablets (diuretics) and
chemotherapy drugs
head injury or whiplash
problems with the joint between your jaws (this is called the temporomandibular joint), which can also lead to
pain in the head or face
Your doctor will take into account all of your symptoms and may perform blood tests and various tests of your
hearing, balance and co-ordination.
If the doctor feels that he or she needs to investigate the inner parts of the ear in more detail, you may
need to have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.
Let us know if you need any other information.
Regards.
