# Tinnitus: well known in antiquity, highly relevant today

## TL;DR

This paper explores the historical understanding of tinnitus and its modern medical relevance, showing it has been recognized since ancient times and remains a significant health issue today.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive historical overview of tinnitus across multiple ancient civilizations and connects it to modern diagnostic and treatment approaches.

## Key findings

- Tinnitus-like symptoms were described in ancient medical texts from Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, Greece, Rome, and China.
- Modern tinnitus care requires a multidisciplinary approach for accurate diagnosis and effective neurological differential diagnosis.

## Abstract

Tinnitus, i.e., the subjective perception of sound without an external source, is a common symptom of various medical conditions. In multiple ancient medical texts, descriptions of tinnitus-like symptoms can be found, but a comprehensive overview is lacking. Here, we collect and describe sources from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, Greece, the Roman Empire, and China. Based on these text segments, we demonstrate how tinnitus has been known since antiquity. In the second part of the article, we give an overview of contemporary tinnitus care and treatment, demonstrating how a multidisciplinary diagnostic workup is crucial, and how the correct diagnosis of tinnitus is important for neurological differential diagnosis.