Can Tinnitus Be Contagious?

[MattK]

Dr Nagler,

My wife got tinnitus about 2 weeks after me. I don't know why I have mine. But with hers, her doctor looked in her ears and said it was etd. Her doc also said it'd go away in a week but it's been over a month now. She has a follow up appointment tomorrow. But I'm just wondering if she has tinnitus that isn't related to etd... I guess what I'm getting at is that it seems strange that she and I got it so close together. Do you think it's possible that that isn't just a coincidence?

Also, she has trouble sleeping because she needs dead silence for sleep. Even taking melatonin isn't helping her much. Any advice?

 

[Dr. Nagler]

Hi @MattK -

You ask if tinnitus can be contagious.

Tinnitus is a symptom. Diseases can be contagious; symptoms cannot.

More than likely your wife became aware of the fact that people can acquire tinnitus and that tinnitus can potentially significantly affect their lives as a result of your experience. Then, two weeks later, she had some sort of minor auditory insult that manifested itself clinically as tinnitus largely because she witnessed it first hand by virtue of what you yourself were going through. Just an educated guess, though.


Hope this helps.

Dr. Stephen Nagler