Abstract
BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the function of cochlear and auditory pathways in patients suffering from tension-type headache (TTH) using various audiological methods.MethodsTwenty-three TTH patients (46 ears) and 26 healthy controls (52 ears) were included, and routine diagnostic audiometry, extended high-frequency audiometry, acoustic reflex (ASR), transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs), distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and suppression TEOAEs were tested.ResultsThe TTH group showed higher thresholds (P < 0.05) for both pure tone and extended high-frequency audiometry at all frequencies except for 9, 14 and 16 kHz. All ASR thresholds were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the TTH group compared with the controls, except for the ipsilateral reflex at 1 kHz, but the threshold differences between the ASR and the corresponding pure tone audiometry did not differ (P > 0.05). For the DPOAEs, the detected rates were lower (P < 0.05) in the TTH group compared with the controls at 4 and 6 kHz, and the amplitudes and signal to noise ratio (S/N) were not significantly different between groups. No differences in the TEOAEs (P > 0.05) were observed for the detected rates, amplitudes, S/Ns or contralateral suppression, except for the S/Ns of the 0.5-1 kHz TEOAE responses, which were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the TTH group.ConclusionsThe results of our study indicate that subclinical changes in cochlear function are associated with TTH.
Highlights
The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the function of cochlear and auditory pathways in patients suffering from tension-type headache (TTH) using various audiological methods
The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the function of the cochlear and brainstem auditory pathways in patients suffering from TTH using pure tone audiometry, extended high-frequency audiometry, the acoustic reflex (ASR), Transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE), Distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) and TEOAE suppression to examine the potential relationship between TTH and the auditory system
The ipsilateral and contralateral acoustic reflex threshold (ART) were obtained in most subjects, and except for the ipsilateral reflex at 1 kHz, all thresholds were significantly higher in the TTH group compared with the control group (Table 2)
Summary
The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the function of cochlear and auditory pathways in patients suffering from tension-type headache (TTH) using various audiological methods. Tension-type headache (TTH) is the most prevalent type of primary headache, and its lifetime prevalence in the general population ranges from 30 to 78 % [1]. TTH is characterized by episodes of headache lasting minutes to days, with mild to moderate pain that is typically bilateral, pressing or tightening in quality. TTH pathophysiology is complex and incompletely understood. Phonophobia is regarded as the most common auditory symptom in patients with migraines. Phonophobia can occur in TTH patients at relatively high rates of 38–40.9 % [4, 5], the frequency
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
