Tinnitus is not a disease but a symptom resulting from a range of underlying causes that can include ear infections, foreign objects or wax in the ear, nose allergies that prevent (or induce) fluid drain and cause wax build-up, and injury from loud noises. Tinnitus is also a side-effect of some medications. Tinnitus can be perceived in one or both ears or in the head.

Tinnitus may also have a connection to memory problems, anxiety, fatigue or a general state of poor health. Tinnitus and hearing loss can be permanent conditions, and therefore precautionary measures are advisable. Tinnitus can have many different causes, but most commonly results from otologic disorders - the same conditions that cause hearing loss.

Tinnitus is also a side-effect of some oral medications, such as aspirin, and may also result from an abnormally low level of serotonin activity. Tinnitus is a ringing, swishing, or other type of noise that seems to originate in the ear or head. Tinnitus can arise in any of the four sections of the ear: the outer ear, the middle ear, the inner ear, and the brain.

Tinnitus can in very rare situations be a symptom of serious problems such as an aneurysm or a brain tumor (acoustic tumor). Tinnitus is identified more frequently in white individuals. Tinnitus can be extremely disturbing to people who have it. Tinnitus can arise in any of the four sections of the hearing system: the outer ear, the middle ear, the inner ear, and the brain. Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the head or the ears.

Tinnitus is noise or ringing in the ears. Tinnitus may be a symptom of a variety of ear disorders or other medical conditions. Tinnitus may also be a symptom associated with a blocked ear canal. Tinnitus may also occur along with certain other medical conditions, such as anemia, which is a condition in which blood levels of hemoglobin, the part of red blood cells that carries oxygen to nourish the tissues of the body, are below normal.

Tinnitus is a condition of temporary or continuous noises like buzzing or humming in the ears or ‘in the head’ of a person, with no external source. Tinnitus treatment may be achieved when an underlying problem is successfully treated.

Tinnitus maskers look like hearing aids, but they produce a pleasant sound. Tinnitus is more common than you might imagine. Tinnitus is much more common is people in middle to later life than it is in younger people, so increased tinnitus awareness may occur coincidentally with other age-related factors. Changes in the levels of hormones circulating in the body during menopause may affect tinnitus awareness through some unknown action. Tinnitus annoyance may be aggravated by some symptoms of menopause such as mood changes.

Some cases of tinnitus are medically unexplained. As tinnitus is often defined as a subjective phenomenon, it is difficult to measure using objective tests, such as by comparison with noise of known frequency and intensity, as in an audiometric test. About one in five people between 55 and 65 years old report tinnitus symptoms on a general health questionnaire. In some individuals, the intensity of tinnitus can be changed by shoulder, head, tongue, jaw, or eye movements.

Most people with tinnitus have hearing loss in that they are often unable to properly hear external sounds which occur within the same range of frequencies as their "phantom sounds". The term "tinnitus" usually refers to more severe cases. Heller and Bergman (1953) conducted a study of 100 tinnitus-free university students placed in an anechoic chamber and found that 93% reported hearing a buzzing, pulsing or whistling sound. For research purposes, the more elaborate Tinnitus Handicap Inventory is often used.