Ear sounds Assessment Questionnaire

Questions Your Doctor May Ask - and Why!

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques to assess the symptom: Ear sounds. These will include a physical examination and possibly diagnostic tests. (Note: A physical exam is always done, diagnostic tests may or may not be performed depending on the suspected condition) Your doctor will ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to openly share any pertinent information to help your doctor make an accurate diagnosis.

It is also very important to bring an up-to-date list of all of your all medical conditions, medications including dosages, and names of numbers of any specialist you see.

Create your printable checklist by answering questions that your doctor may ask below:

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How long have you noticed the ear sounds?
Why: to determine if acute or chronic.
How would you explain the noise that you hear?
Why: e.g. hearing inappropriate sounds such as ringing, buzzing, humming, roaring or similar noises in the ears is quite common and is called tinnitus.
Is the noise intermittent or constant?
Can other people also hear the noise?
Why: if you and other people can hear the noise, this is unusual but may suggest a glomus tumor (a globular tumor arising from the vessels in the middle ear) which cause a pulsatile tinnitus), arteriovenous malformations (abnormal communication between arteries and veins, carotid stenosis (narrowing of the carotid artery due to atherosclerosis), aneurysms (circumscribed dilatation of an artery), significant anemia, a patent eustachian tube or myoclonus alternate contraction and relaxation of a muscle).
Is the ear sound unilateral or bilateral?
Why: unilateral tinnitus is more likely to be associated with a more serious disorder such as Meniere's disease, acoustic neuroma (benign tumor of the 8th cranial nerve), cholesteatoma or vascular disease.
What is the age of the person with ear sounds? -most cases of tinnitus is caused by presbyacusis (loss of ability to perceive or discriminate sounds as part of the aging process)
Have you had a recent upper respiratory tract infection?
Why: e.g. sore throat, runny nose, sinusitis - may suggest acute otitis media.
Has there been a history of industrial or recreational noise exposure?
Is there a history of trauma?
Why: may suggest whiplash, concussion or trauma to the middle or inner ear.
Stress factors?
Why: may aggravate tinnitus.
Past medical history?
Why: e.g. neurofibromatosis type 2 may have tumors of the 8th cranial nerve; chronic renal failure may predispose to otosclerosis; hypertension may cause tinnitus.
Medications?
Why: some drugs may cause tinnitus e.g. aminoglycoside , tetracycline and clindamycin antibiotics; tricyclic antidepressants; aspirin; quinine.
Caffeine usage?
Why: caffeine may aggravate tinnitus.
Cigarette smoking?
Why: may aggravate tinnitus.
Illicit drug use?
Why: e.g. marijuana may cause tinnitus.
Vertigo and deafness?
Why: may suggest Meniere's disease, acoustic neuroma, cholesteatoma, multiple sclerosis, basilar artery insufficiency and brain stem tumors.
Hearing loss?
Why: may suggest presbyacusis, noise-induced hearing loss, otosclerosis, Meniere's disease, acoustic neuroma, fracture of the petrous temporal bone, ototoxicity from drugs.
Symptoms of Meniere's disease?
Why: e.g. nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, vertigo, sensorineural deafness.
Symptoms of otitis media?
Why: e.g. infection often follows upper respiratory tract infection, ear pain, fever, sensation of pressure in the ear, hearing loss, drum may perforate with subsequent relief of pain and fever.
Symptoms of otitis externa?
Why: e.g. often occurs in ears that are itchy due to eczema, dermatitis or psoriasis or in those that swim; pain, discharge, pressure on the ear lobe causes pain.

Conditions listing medical symptoms: Ear sounds:

The following list of conditions have 'Ear sounds' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

Select from the following alphabetical view of conditions which include a symptom of Ear sounds or choose View All.

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Conditions listing medical complications: Ear sounds:

The following list of medical conditions have 'Ear sounds' or similar listed as a medical complication in our database.

» Next page: Types of Ear sounds

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