Correlation of Tinnitus Loudness and Onset Duration with Audiological Profile Indicating Variation in Prognosis

Abstract

Purpose. Subjective tinnitus has different forms and degrees of severity. Many studies in the literature have assessed psychoacoustic characteristics of tinnitus but hardly any of them had focused on the association of audiological profile with onset duration and loudness perception. The aim of this study was to evaluate existence of any association between tinnitus loudness/onset duration and audiological profile to explain differences in prognosis. Method. Study design was prospective. The sample consisted of 26 subjects having tinnitus, which was divided into tinnitus and nontinnitus ears. Audiological profile included pure-tone audiometry, speech audiometry, tympanometry, acoustic reflex test, and auditory evoked potentials (early and middle latency). Unpaired t-test was applied to compare two subgroups. Correlation and association between tinnitus onset duration/loudness perception and audiological profile were also assessed by calculating Spearman's coefficient and Fischer exact value. Results. The two subgroups had significant differences for pure-tone and speech audiometry hearing thresholds. A significant association was observed between the high frequency/extended high frequency and tinnitus loudness/onset duration. Conclusion. The changes in hearing thresholds and auditory pathway are associated with an increase in tinnitus loudness and its onset duration. This knowledge would be helpful to differentiate between severity and chronicity of the patients for planning therapeutic management and predicting prognosis.

The Relationship between Severity of Hearing Loss and Subjective Tinnitus Loudness among Patients Seen in a Specialist Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Therapy Clinic in UK

“…Mazurek et al (2010) also reported a significant correlation between mean PTA threshold at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 kHz and tinnitus loudness as measured with loudness matching (regression coefficient [r] 5 0.67, p , 0.0001). Gudwani et al (2013) likewise reported a significant correlation between tinnitus loudness as measured via loudness matching and average hearing thresholds at 0.5, 1, and 2 kHz. However, none of these studies examined whether the relationship between hearing loss and tinnitus loudness was associated with other variables known to influence tinnitus perception such as emotional states (Probst et al, 2016).…”

Psychoacoustic Characteristics of Tinnitus versus Temporal Resolution in Subjects with Normal Hearing Sensitivity

“…Sleep disturbance was rated on a 5-point scale as 0 ¼ never affected, 1 ¼ rarely affected, 2 ¼ sometimes affected, 3 ¼ mostly affected, and 4 ¼ always affected. 9,10 Clinical and audiological examinations consisted of: 1) audiological evaluation; 2) tinnitus psychoacoustic measures; 3) transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE); and 4) GIN test.…”

Middle Latency Auditory Evoked Potential (MLAEP) in Workers with and without Tinnitus who are Exposed to Occupational Noise

“…Similar alterations were reported by Rybalko and Syka [ 25 ] when studying noise-induced tinnitus in rats. On the other hand, Gudwani et al [ 17 ] found that Na and Pa wave amplitudes were more than 90% normal in individuals with tinnitus. Interestingly, Theodoroff et al [ 16 ] suggested that the MLAEP protocol used is not specific enough to detect neurophysiological abnormalities associated with tinnitus, which may explain some of the different findings between these studies.…”

“…However, these previous studies using MLAEP [ 10 , 11 , 16 , 17 ] used heterogeneous groups of individuals with tinnitus and yielded controversial results that need to be reconciled. An important aspect to consider regarding tinnitus is that it may also be caused by various diseases that affect different structures along the auditory pathway.…”