The impact of hearing-aid amplification and its integrated tinnitus feature on tinnitus management

Abstract

Tinnitus is the potentially debilitating perception of phantom sound with no current cure. Although some management approaches are available, the benefits of hearing aid amplification and its added noiser are uncertain. This study assessed impacts of hearing-aid amplification, and amplification with an added noiser feature, on adults with hearing loss and chronic bothersome tinnitus. Thirty adults [42–75 (Mean = 61.1) years old; 18 males], with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss but no previous amplification exposure; and bothersome tinnitus [Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) baseline scores of at least 20], were randomly assigned to one of two groups in a cross-over study to experience amplification-only, and amplification + noiser for one month each, following one month of no intervention. Study hearing aids were worn minimally for 5-h/day. TFI questionnaires evaluated tinnitus severity before and after each condition. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA with 30 participants revealed a significant effect on TFI across baseline, amplification-only, and amplification + noiser conditions (p = .023), suggesting tinnitus improvement across conditions. Further post-hoc tests indicated lower TFI scores in the amplification + noiser condition (p = 0.048), identifying its distinct benefit. Preliminary analysis suggests benefit of hearing aid amplification, with a prominent advantage of the noiser feature on tinnitus management.