Systemic disorders associated with tinnitus include hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, neurologic disorders including head injury, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism. Tinnitus often is one of the first symptoms produced by an ototoxic drug.
Medical treatment begins with efforts to determine the underlying cause and treat it.
When the cause cannot be found or is not amenable to control, symptomatic relief is attempted. However, some cases resist all conventional modes of therapy. Biofeedback training is especially helpful in those cases in which emotional stress and anxiety or hysteria are thought to be contributing factors. Through visual or auditory signals the person learns to relax and exert some degree of control over the autonomic nervous system. This can lower blood pressure and pulse rate and relax tense muscles.