Tinnitus treatment Frankfurt

Interesting facts about tinnitus

If the ringing in the ears does not last longer than three months, it is referred to as acute tinnitus. If it has been ringing in the ears for longer, it is chronic tinnitus. The noises can also be divided into objective and subjective tinnitus. Objective means that we can perceive a noise during the examination, for example, because a sound wave is formed - e.g. due to a constricted artery in the ear area. This is different with subjective tinnitus: there is no sound wave caused by a change in the body. Only you as the patient hear the ringing, beeping, hissing or similar sounds.

There are various causes that can lead to tinnitus. Physical factors are possible. This means that the ringing in the ears is caused by a physical illness. These include diseases of the ears, injuries to the eardrum, cardiovascular problems, muscle tension in the neck area, dental and jaw problems (CMD), inflammation in the body or autoimmune diseases. The condition following a sudden hearing loss and trauma caused by a bang or explosion are also often accompanied by a persistent beeping sound in the ear.

Psychological problems can also manifest themselves in the form of tinnitus. Persistent professional and/or private stress and other psychological problems can cause tinnitus. Sometimes there is no clear cause. In this case, we speak of idiopathic tinnitus.

Tinnitus treatment Frankfurt: When you should come to us at the Goethe10 practice clinic

Tinnitus is not a medical emergency - even if you are understandably worried when you experience ringing in your ears. Stay calm at first. In many cases, the tinnitus disappears as spontaneously as it appeared. Hearing often returns to normal after a few minutes or hours. Even if the tinnitus persists for one or two days, this is no cause for concern.

Only if there is still no improvement after this period should you make an appointment at our ENT clinic in Frankfurt. We will examine you carefully to find out the cause of your tinnitus. If we suspect a cause that cannot be traced back to the ENT area If the patient's condition is not suitable, we can also consult other specialists such as cardiologists, orthopaedists and internists.

Even if you should wait and see, it is important that the treatment of tinnitus begins in good time. In the case of newly occurring, i.e. acute tinnitus, causal therapy is most likely to make it disappear. It is therefore not a good idea to wait several weeks. Otherwise there is an increased risk of the tinnitus becoming chronic. In many cases, a complete cure is then no longer possible.

Interesting facts about the active substance cortisone

Cortisone is an active substance that belongs to the group of so-called glucocorticosteroids (glucocorticoids for short). As hormones, glucocorticoids occur naturally in the body. However, they can also be produced artificially and used as medication. Incidentally, the term cortisone is often used colloquially to refer to all active substances in this group of drugs. There are, for example, betamethasone, mometasone or prednisolone.

Cortisone has a strong anti-inflammatory effect and can help to alleviate pain caused by inflammation. It also has an anti-allergic, circulatory stimulating, decongestant and immunosuppressive effect. This means that it makes the body's defence activities less aggressive.

When patients are prescribed cortisone, many are irritated and worried about the side effects. However, this is often based on misinformation. They think that cortisone is a "killer drug" that has severe side effects and is only given for the most serious illnesses. These misconceptions often have their origins in the experiences made with the drug in the 1970s. At that time, cortisone made many negative headlines - there was simply a lack of long-term experience, the dosage was often far too high and the drug was administered for too long.

Today we know that large amounts of cortisone are safe for short periods of time. Very low doses are now used for long-term treatments. In addition, medications containing the active ingredient have since been further developed and adapted.

The risk of side effects is therefore much lower than many people believe - especially if the active ingredient is used correctly. The side effects also depend on how the cortisone is administered (as a tablet, inhalation/spray, injection or infusion or as a cream to be applied to the skin).

Today, cortisone is used to treat skin diseases, asthma, allergies, inflammatory diseases and rheumatism, among other things. However, it also plays an important role in the treatment of tinnitus.

Tinnitus treatment Frankfurt: How cortisone can help

If there is no improvement in the ringing in the ears after two days at the latest, it may be advisable to treat the tinnitus with cortisone. The active ingredient is administered by the German Society for Ear, Nose and Throat Medicine, Head and Neck Surgery recommended for the treatment of complaints associated with tinnitus.

It is not known exactly how cortisone works against tinnitus. It appears to have a favourable effect on the composition of the fluids in the inner ear due to its anti-inflammatory properties. The medication also has a circulatory stimulating effect. It can therefore improve blood circulation in the inner ear. It is assumed that the effect of cortisone on tinnitus can be attributed to the presence of corresponding receptors in the cochlea of the inner ear. The receptors are to be understood as "docking sites" on a cell, which are orientated towards the binding of individual active substances. A pharmacological effect can occur after the active substance binds to the corresponding receptors.

The Tinnitus treatment with cortisone can be administered in various ways: The medication can be administered in tablet form, as an infusion (intravenous therapy; drip treatment) or directly into the middle ear (intratympanic therapy). We will decide which form of treatment is best suited to your individual case after an extensive examination, including an examination of the patient. Hearing tests.