Question:
Tinnitus is a symptom like itch or pain. There are conditions that cause T that also cause dizzyness at the same time.
Answer:
Dizziness, tinnitus, fullness, ear pain, etc are all symptoms, not diseases,
they are all possible effects of many different disease processes, none are
the cause.
When you have a chronic ear / tinnitus / vertigo / balance problem, often
the best thing to do is to see a neurotologist or otologist, an ENT doc with
additional training in the ear and its connections to the brain, who
subspecializes in the ear. These are the doctors for dizziness. These
subspecialities are often not listed in the phone book. To find one near
you, ask for recommendations from the kind folks on this list (make sure you
tell them where you live...), ask your ENT for a referral, or see incomplete
lists at:
http://itsa.ucsf.edu/~ajo/ANS/ANSmemst.html
http://itsa.ucsf.edu/~ajo/AOS/AOSMem.html
You can also contact the Vestibular Disorders Association (VEDA) and ask
for the resource list for your state:
http://www.vestibular.org/index.shtml
There is no completely foolproof way to find the best "dizzy doc" for your
particular needs, but these are good ways to get started.
Statistics say that 85% of vertigo problems are due to inner ear disease, so
MOST patients with this symptom would be best served by seeing a
neurotologist. Unfortunately, the typical course for most vertigo patients
is to waste time and money on at least 2 fruitless subspecialty referals,
before finding their way to a neurotologist (most often neurology and
cardiology, sometimes psychology).
