Tinnitus is the perception of noise that no one else can hear. It may sound like ringing, hissing, buzzing, rushing or cicadas, even when there’s no external noise. These sounds can be so soft you barely notice them or so loud that they seem to block out sounds in your environment.

One of the questions we are often asked is whether tinnitus can be genetic, especially if other people in your family experience it too.

A Swedish study of twins, published in Genetics in Medicine, found that there is a genetic susceptibility to tinnitus, particularly when tinnitus is present in both ears.

However, having a genetic predisposition doesn’t mean tinnitus is inevitable. For many people, tinnitus develops alongside other changes in hearing, noise exposure over time, stress, sleep, and overall health. Even people with a genetic predisposition usually notice tinnitus only when those factors come into play.

If you have tinnitus, having your hearing health and other lifestyle factors assessed is often more useful than focusing on genetics alone.

1. Maas et al., 2017  https://www.nature.com/articles/gim20174