Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the ear, or sound heard from the ear. It is often in the from of a "buzz" or "whistle", but can have a variety of different characteristics in different patients.
Tinnitus is common, and most of us experience it from time to time, especially when it is quiet. However, in some patients it can become present more of the time and intrusive. The two aspects of tinnitus that tend to bother patients are concerns there may be a serious underlying disease process and the unpleasant nature of the symptom itself.
Tinnitus can be associated with a hearing loss, especially an inner ear-related one, or it can occur in patients with normal hearing. In many patients the tinnitus affects both ears, but in some it is unilateral.
For unilateral tinnitus, especially with an accompanying hearing loss, patients will normally undergo a Magnetic Resonance (MR) scan of the inner ears to rule out the possibility of an acoustic neuroma-a rare benign tumour of the inner ear nerve.
Some patients with tinnitus and hearing loss might also have balance problems, such as Meniere's disease(http://www.jarrodhomer.co.uk/dizzyness).
In patients with tinnitus AND significant hearing loss, a hearing aid may not only help with hearing, but also alleviate the tinnitus.
For the many patients with normal hearing and tinnitus, management is more difficult. In the absence of anything specific causing tinnitus, such a some medications, management tends to be in the form of simple distraction techniques (e.g. background noise when trying to get to sleep) to more formal counselling, including the use of noise-emitting devices (white noise masking devices).
LINKS:
http://www.entuk.org.uk/patient_info/ear/tinnitus_html