Abstract
Introduction: Tinnitus prevalence numbers in the literature range between 5 and 43%, depending on the studied population and definition. It is unclear when tinnitus becomes pathologic.Objectives: To assess the tinnitus prevalence in the Dutch general population with different cutoffs for definition.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a questionnaire was sent to a sample (n = 2,251) of the Nivel (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research) Dutch Health Care Consumer Panel. Three questions were asked to assess the presence of tinnitus, duration, and frequency of the complaint. We classified people as having pathologic tinnitus when participants experienced it for 5–60 min (daily or almost daily or weekly), or tinnitus for >60 min or continuously (daily or almost daily or weekly or monthly), so tinnitus impact on daily life was measured with the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) and a single-item question. Answers were stratified to mid-decade years of age. Prevalence numbers were weighted by gender and age to match the Dutch population.Results: Nine hundred thirty-two of 2,251 participants (41%) filled out the questionnaire. The median age was 67.0 (IQR 17) years. Three hundred thirty-eight of 932 (36%) experienced tinnitus for an undefined amount of time during the last year. Two hundred sixteen of 932 (23%) met our definition of having pathologic tinnitus (21% when weighted for age and gender). The median TFI score for all pathologic tinnitus participants was 16.6 (IQR 21.8). A percentage of 50.4% of the pathologic tinnitus participants had a TFI in the range 0–17, which can be interpreted as not a problem.Conclusion: Twenty-three percent (unweighted) or 21% (weighted) of our sample met our definition of pathologic tinnitus, which was based on a combination of duration and frequency over the last year. The TFI score of 47.7% of the pathologic tinnitus participants is ≥18. This indicates that they consider the tinnitus to be at least “a small problem” [11.1% (unweighted) or 8.9% (weighted) of the total study group]. This study illustrates the difficulties with defining pathologic tinnitus. In addition, it demonstrates that tinnitus prevalence numbers vary with different definitions and, consequently, stresses the importance of using a uniform definition of tinnitus.
Highlights
Tinnitus prevalence numbers in the literature range between 5 and 43%, depending on the studied population and definition
We found that 49.7% of the 216 pathologic tinnitus participants [or 11% (103 out of 932) out of the total participants or 8.9% (83 of 932)] had a Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) score of 18 or more
Of those 23.2% that met our definition of pathologic tinnitus, which was based on a combination of duration and frequency over the last year
Summary
Tinnitus prevalence numbers in the literature range between 5 and 43%, depending on the studied population and definition. It is unclear when tinnitus becomes pathologic. The authors of the systematic review identified eight variations on screening questions to identify those having tinnitus This varied from tinnitus lasting for more than 5 min at a time or the experience of tinnitus within the last year. The authors argue that, for example, the impact of tinnitus on daily life could be part of the definition [1], since the mere presence of tinnitus does not necessarily mean the individual person experiences it as pathologic or distressing [4]. At this moment there is no consensus on when tinnitus becomes so distressing that it becomes pathologic, or the individual starts, for example, to seek help
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