1 Out Of 10 Americans Experience Tinnitus, The Sensation Of Ringing In Their Ears

A new study reveals that one out of ten Americans suffer from mild to severe tinnitus, in which they experience hearing sounds such as whistling, buzzing, swooshing, clicking and hissing. They can also hear music without playing any of it.

The study was printed in the JAMA Otolaryngology and entitled "Prevalence, Severity, Exposures and Treatment Patterns of Tinnitus in the U.S." It was led by researchers from the University of California, which was coordinated by Dr. Harrison Lin, a major specialist in ear surgery at The Irvine Medical Center in California, according to Pulse Headlines.

The said condition is annoying but there is more to it than just that. This can also cause impairment when persistent and may also lead to hearing loss, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is often associated with the noise people are exposed to in their everyday routines.

In the study, the researchers examined the data provided by the Integrated Health Interview Series. It involves 76,000 participants. The results showed that there was about 27 percent of them who suffered from tinnitus for more than 15 years. About over a third of them were having the symptoms regularly, even though most cases were mild and not severe.

Meanwhile, it is estimated that almost 15 percent of the general public---over 50 million Americans experience some form of tinnitus, according to Centers for Disease Control. There are also approximately 20 million people who have chronic tinnitus, while 2 million have severe cases. Its major causes include exposure to loud noises that damage the auditory system and having the age-related hearing loss such as presbycusis.

Dr. Lin explained that tinnitus is intimately tied to hearing loss and very few people know about it. He further explained that it's about converting the way in which you think about tinnitus from negative emotions and trains of thought to more positive trains of thoughts.