Does Tinnitus Annoyance Correlate to Auditory Brainsteam Responses?

Abstract

Objectives: Tinnitus is more common in patients with some degree of hearing loss, but may be present in approximately 10-20% of people with normal hearing. There is evidence of involvement of the central auditory nervous system and interrelation with various parts of the nervous system, which may be involved in the mechanism of central processing of auditory signals. We aimed to analyze the annoyance of tinnitus in patients without hearing loss and to correlate the findings with auditory brainsteam response (ABR). Methods: We selected 84 patients with tinnitus and 47 patients without tinnitus, with ages ranging from 18 to 48 years old and hearing threshold less than or equal to 25 dB at frequencies between 500 and 8000Hz. We conducted the evaluation of tinnitus annoyance with the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), and examination of ABR. Results: Among the 84 patients in the study group, we found 35.7% of abnormal tests in at least one of the seven parameters tested, however, only the difference in the interaural wave V latency in patients with unilateral tinnitus was significant difference between the study and control group. Most patients in the study group had mild or very mild tinnitus. The discomfort of tinnitus showed no correlation with the results of ABR results. Conclusions: ABR results did not play a role in tinnitus annoyance in this study. It is important to investigate the role of anxiety and depression in the discomfort of tinnitus.