Noise in Ear

Over the past couple of days, once or twice I've had a noise in one of my ears that can best be described as "a motor running". It lasts for about 10 seconds and then stops. Any ideas waht this is? Thanks.  Todd

[Naveen Kumar, MD]

Dear Todd,

Thanks for the query

Noise in the ear is referred to as tinnitus. It could be due to various reasons such as Eustachian tube catarrh, wax in the ears, fluid inside the ear drum, inner ear pathology, etc.

Commonest of all the above conditions are Eustachian tube catarrh and wax in the ear.
Eustachian tube is a narrow canal connecting the posterior part of the nose and the middle ear. Whenever an individual has an attack of cold or nasal block the nasal end of this tube tends to get blocked, following which there is negative pressure created in the middle ear leading to ear discomfort as well as noise in the ear.

The second most common cause is the presence of wax in the external ear canal, which gives rise to noise in the ear because of gushing of air through the narrow space between the wax and the external ear canal.

I would suggest you get an examination done by an ENT specialist to find out the cause and management of your tinnitus.

Hope that this information helps and hope that you will get better soon.

Thank you for using MedHelp's "Ask an Expert" Service, where we feature some of world's renowned medical experts in their fields. Millions have benefitted from our service to get personalized advice for them and for their loved ones.

Best Regards,
Dr. Naveen Kumar.