Risk Factors For Tinnitus Research Articles

A preliminary study of the treatment of chronic tinnitus in menopausal women

Objective:To explore the hormone treatment outcome of the menopause related tinnitus.Method:From April 2016 to October 2016, Fifty-nine patients who were diagnosed with menopausal syndrome in the menopause clinics of Beijing Shijitan Hospital were enrolled in our study, and questionnaire-based investigation about tinnitus and menopause was performed. According to the patients' intention, they were divided into treatment group and control group. Age, BMI, menopausal KMI scores, severity of tinnitus were statistically analyzed. After 3 months follow up, the different therapeutic effects of tinnitus between two groups were analyzed. Result:There was no significant difference between two groups in age, BMI, menopausal KMI scores and severity of tinnitus. The tinnitus in untreated patients after 3 months follow up showed no improvement, while 5 cases had been cured in treatment group. Conclusion:Menopause related tinnitus was an independent type of tinnitus. Menopausal hormone therapy can be applied for treatment after excluding other tinnitus risk factors.

Epidemiology and risk factors for tinnitus after leisure noise exposure in Flemish young adults

Objective: Young people regularly expose themselves to leisure noise and are at risk of acquiring tinnitus. This study examined the prevalence of leisure noise-induced tinnitus among Flemish young adults as well as the relation with sociodemographic factors, health-related variables and attitudes and beliefs towards noise. Design: A self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate the presence of noise-induced tinnitus, the amount of leisure noise and attitudes towards noise and hearing protection. Study sample: 517 subjects between 18 and 30 years were included. Results: Temporary and chronic tinnitus occurred in 68.5% and 6.4% of the sample, respectively. Chronic tinnitus was more prevalent in male subjects and associated with more hearing-related symptoms. Furthermore, subjects with chronic tinnitus were more aware of the risks of noise and the importance of hearing protection. Finally, higher levels of leisure noise were independently associated with chronic tinnitus. Conclusions: Tinnitus is observed frequently in young adults. Results also indicate that persons with chronic tinnitus were exposed to a higher noise dose during their lives. Longitudinal studies may be useful to evaluate whether the experience of chronic tinnitus has led to behavioural changes. These findings further underpin the importance of educating youth about the risks of leisure noise exposure.

Associations of Organizational Justice with Tinnitus and the Mediating Role of Depressive Symptoms and Burnout-Findings from a Cross-Sectional Study.

Tinnitus refers to the perception of a sound while an external source is absent. Research has identified work-related stress and its potential mental health-related sequelaes, i.e., depression and burnout, as risk factors for tinnitus. Perceived unfairness at work (organizational injustice), which is considered a psychosocial occupational stressor, has been shown to predict depression and burnout but its potential associations with tinnitus remains unaddressed. The aim was to determine the relationship of organizational injustice with tinnitus, and to examine depression and burnout as potential mediators. Cross-sectional data from a sample of 1632 employees were used. Tinnitus was assessed by self-report (n = 207; 13.9 %). Organizational justice and its subcomponents (interactional and procedural justice), burnout, and depressive symptoms were measured by validated questionnaires. Associations were assessed by logistic regressions, and mediation was assessed by maximum likelihood logistic regression estimations. Overall organizational justice, interactional and procedural justice were inversely related to tinnitus (z-score for overall justice: OR = 0.754; 95 % CI = 0.649 to 0.876). These associations were independent of demographics, socioeconomic status, job characteristics (including potential noise exposure), and health behaviors. Mediation analyses suggested a potential mediation by burnout (95 % CI indirect effect -0.188 to -0.066) and depressive symptoms (95 % CI indirect effect -0.160 to -0.043). Parallel multiple mediation analysis revealed that mediation through burnout was significantly larger than through depressive symptoms. Organizational justice appeared inversely related to tinnitus and this association was explained by individual differences in burnout symptoms, suggesting mediation. Longitudinal studies may further help to strengthen the evidence base for prevention of tinnitus through promotion of organizational justice and prevention of burnout.

Current perspectives of tinnitus and its therapeutic options

Tinnitus (noise or ringing of the ears) is a common problem with a higher prevalence in industrialized countries. The basic division distinguishes objective tinnitus, often resulting from vascular anomalies, and subjective tinnitus, which is more common and whose etiopathogenesis is not yet fully understood. Risk factors for tinnitus are common cardiovascular risks, elevated BMI, hypertension, dyslipidemia, exposure to excessive noise and hearing disorders in general. An important role is also played by psychological aspects of the individual. Tinnitus can be associated with other diseases of the nervous system such as multiple sclerosis or a vestibular schwannoma. Tinnitus can also be experienced by individuals using various classes of drugs (salicylates, aminoglycoside antibiotics, cytostatics). Treatment of tinnitus is challenging; various therapeutic strategies have been developed such as pharmacotherapy, physical therapy, psychotherapy, and rehabilitation.

One-year prevalence and risk factors of tinnitus in children with otological problems.

The present study was conducted to find one year prevalence and risk factors of tinnitus in the children (below 18 years) who reported with the ear or hearing related complaint to All India Institute of Speech and hearing, Mysore. A retrospective case analysis was carried out by reviewing the case files of those who visited the institute during the above period. The results shown that the tinnitus prevalence was 5.24%. No gender difference was found in children with tinnitus. Further, 79.63% of the children with tinnitus had hearing loss. In addition, 30.23% of the children with tinnitus had mild degree of hearing loss followed by minimal, and moderate degree of hearing loss. Most of these children had conductive, and sensorineural type of hearing loss than mixed type of hearing loss. It can be concluded that hearing loss, gender, giddiness, and headache were found to be major risk factors.

Clinical observations and risk factors for tinnitus in a Sicilian cohort.

The aims of this study were to determine the distribution of risk factors associated with tinnitus analysing their role in the development of tinnitus and the effects of their interaction; to evidence the importance of a suitable and adequate clinical and audiologic assessment to avoid those modifiable risk factors responsible for cochlear dysfunction and tinnitus onset. 46 subjects with tinnitus and 74 controls were studied according to: age, sex, Body Mass Index (BMI), neck circumference, tobacco smoking, feeling fatigue or headache, self reporting snoring, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and/or hyperlipidemia, and laboratory finding as lipid profile and levels of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROM). Audiological assessment was performed by multi-frequency audiometry (PTA(0.5-16 kHz)) and transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE diagnostic). Univariate analysis was performed to examine the association between determinants and occurrence of tinnitus; Mantel-Haenszel test (G.or) was used to investigate the joint effect of determinants on tinnitus. Tinnitus was more frequent among males with age >50 years; BMI >30 kg/m(2), neck circumference >40 cm, headache, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia resulted significant risk factors for tinnitus (P < 0.0001). Tinnitus group had more comorbidity (P < 0.0001) and worse audiometric thresholds (60.87 Vs 21.62% hearing loss; P < 0.0001) with respect to control group. The interaction between hypertension-BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2) (G.or = 8.45) and smoking-hypercholesterolemia (G.or = 5.08) increases the risk of tinnitus (P < 0.0001). Our results underline that several factors either individually or jointly contribute to tinnitus onset; a comprehensive knowledge about tinnitus risk factors and associated clinical conditions could contribute to minimizing this disorder.

Prevalence and risk factors of tinnitus: the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010–2011, a cross‐sectional study

The aim of this study was to examine the association between tinnitus and several potential risk factors in Korean population. A cross-sectional study. Based on data from the fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study included 10,061 Korean individuals. Tinnitus was assessed by using a questionnaire, and otorhinolaryngologic examination was conducted. Risk factors associated with tinnitus were evaluated using a multiple logistic regression analysis. Of the 10,061 participants ranging from 20 to 97 years old, the overall prevalence of any tinnitus was 21.4% and annoying tinnitus was 7.3%. In a multivariable logistic regression model, the following factors were associated with having tinnitus: occupational noise exposure [any tinnitus, odd ratio (OR) = 1.34; annoying tinnitus, OR = 1.47], non-occupational noise exposure (any tinnitus, OR = 1.48; annoying tinnitus, OR = 2.02), hearing impairment (any tinnitus, OR = 2.27; annoying tinnitus, OR = 3.61), chronic otitis media (any tinnitus, OR = 1.53; annoying tinnitus, OR = 1.36), chronic rhinosinusitis (any tinnitus, OR = 1.38; annoying tinnitus, OR = 1.38), temporomandibular disorder (any tinnitus, OR = 1.69; annoying tinnitus, OR = 1.90), depression (any tinnitus, OR = 1.44; annoying tinnitus, OR = 1.70), and higher stress level (any tinnitus, OR = 1.28; annoying tinnitus, OR = 1.76). These results suggest that tinnitus is common in Korea and may be associated with some avoidable risk factors.

One-year prevalence and risk factors of tinnitus in older individuals with otological problems.

The present study was carried out to estimate one year prevalence and risk factors of tinnitus in the older individuals (60 years and above) who reported with the ear and/or hearing related complaint to All India Institute of Speech and hearing, Mysore. The case files of those who visited the institute during the above said period were reviewed retrospectively. The results of the study revealed that the prevalence of tinnitus was 16.81%. It was also found that 60.9% of the individuals with tinnitus were males. Further, 97.5% of the individuals with tinnitus had hearing loss. In addition, 28.53% of the individuals with tinnitus had moderate degree of hearing loss followed by moderately severe degree of hearing loss. Most of these individuals had sensorineural impairment. It can be concluded that prevalence of tinnitus is quite high in the older individuals with otological problems. The hearing loss, gender, giddiness, headache, hypertension, and diabetes were found to be major risk factors.

Noise-Induced Inner Hair Cell Ribbon Loss Disturbs Central Arc Mobilization: A Novel Molecular Paradigm for Understanding Tinnitus

Increasing evidence shows that hearing loss is a risk factor for tinnitus and hyperacusis. Although both often coincide, a causal relationship between tinnitus and hyperacusis has not been shown. Currently, tinnitus and hyperacusis are assumed to be caused by elevated responsiveness in subcortical circuits. We examined both the impact of different degrees of cochlear damage and the influence of stress priming on tinnitus induction. We used (1) a behavioral animal model for tinnitus designed to minimize stress, (2) ribbon synapses in inner hair cells (IHCs) as a measure for deafferentation, (3) the integrity of auditory brainstem responses (ABR) to detect differences in stimulus-evoked neuronal activity, (4) the expression of the activity-regulated cytoskeletal protein, Arc, to identify long-lasting changes in network activity within the basolateral amygdala (BLA), hippocampal CA1, and auditory cortex (AC), and (5) stress priming to investigate the influence of corticosteroid on trauma-induced brain responses. We observed that IHC ribbon loss (deafferentation) leads to tinnitus when ABR functions remain reduced and Arc is not mobilized in the hippocampal CA1 and AC. If, however, ABR waves are functionally restored and Arc is mobilized, tinnitus does not occur. Both central response patterns were found to be independent of a profound threshold loss and could be shifted by the corticosterone level at the time of trauma. We, therefore, discuss the findings in the context of a history of stress that can trigger either an adaptive or nonadaptive brain response following injury.

Tinnitus and mobile phone use

ObjectivesThe mechanisms that produce tinnitus are not fully understood. While tinnitus can be associated with diseases and disorders of the ear, retrocochlear diseases and vascular pathologies, there are few known...

Acoustic trauma evokes hyperactivity and changes in gene expression in guinea‐pig auditory brainstem

Hearing loss from acoustic trauma is a risk factor for tinnitus. Animal models using acoustic trauma have demonstrated hyperactivity in central auditory pathways, which has been suggested as a substrate for tinnitus. We used a guinea-pig model of unilateral acoustic trauma. Within the same animals, measurements of peripheral hearing loss, spontaneous activity of single neurons in the inferior colliculus and gene expression in cochlear nucleus and inferior colliculus were combined, acutely and after recovery from acoustic trauma. Genes investigated related to inhibitory (GABA-A receptor subunit alpha 1; glycine receptor subunit alpha 1) and excitatory neurotransmission (glutamate decarboxylase 1; glutamate receptor AMPA subunit alpha 2; glutamate receptor NMDA subunit 1), regulation of transmitter release (member of RAB family of small GTPase; RAB3 GTPase activating protein subunit 1) and neuronal excitability (potassium channel subfamily K member 15). Acoustic trauma resulted in unilateral hearing loss and hyperactivity bilaterally in inferior colliculus. Changes in expression of different mRNAs were observed in ipsilateral cochlear nucleus and in ipsi- and contralateral inferior colliculus, immediately after acoustic trauma, and after 2 and 4 weeks' recovery. Gene expression was generally reduced immediately after trauma, followed by a return to near normal levels or over-expression as recovery time increased. Different mechanisms appear to underlie the spontaneous hyperactivity observed. There is evidence of down-regulation of genes associated with neuronal inhibition in the contralateral inferior colliculus, whereas in ipsilateral cochlear nucleus, competing actions of inhibitory and excitatory systems seem to play a major role in determining overall excitability.