Zeina Chemali, MD, MPH

Tinnitus affects 50 million people in the US and can require urgent medical assistance. It can also cause considerable anxiety and even hallucinations. Reducing symptom intensity is key.

The aim of this article is to show that tinnitus is secondary to an aberrant brain-ear circuitry affected by disorders such as mood, anxiety, and alcohol and substance abuse as well as executive dysfunction, migraine, sleep and stress. By treating these comorbidities, tinnitus tends to improve.