What causes tinnitus?

What causes tinnitus? I am a 33-year-old female and have just discovered that I have tinnitus.

 

In the majority of people, no cause of tinnitus is ever found. Rare causes of tinnitus include damage to the inner ear cells. It is believed that damage to the very fine hairs in the inner ear causes them to be supersensitive to noise and amplify the signals that you hear. Other causes of tinnitus include chronic ear infections, trauma to ear and injury to the auditory nerve.

Common reasons why people have tinnitus include advanced age, exposure to loud noises from heavy equipment, listening to loud music, ear wax and bone changes. Unfortunately even after these conditions are corrected, tinnitus may continue. The work up for tinnitus can be expensive and include numerous tests.