Relating tinnitus features and audiometric characteristics in a cohort of 34 tinnitus subjects

Abstract

Although tinnitus, the conscious perception of a sound without a sound source external or internal to the body, is highly correlated with hearing loss, the precise nature of such correlation remains still unknown. People with high pitch tinnitus are used to suffer from high frequency hearing losses, and vice versa, low pitch tinnitus is mostly associated with low frequency hearing losses. However, many subjects with low or high frequency losses do no develop tinnitus. Thus, studies trying to relate audiometric characteristics and tinnitus features are still relevant. This article presents a correlational study of audiometric and tinnitus variables in a sample of 34 subjects, paying special attention to the heterogeneous subtypes of both audiometry shape and tinnitus etiology. Our results, which concur with others previously published, demonstrate that the tinnitus pitch, the main frequency of the tinnitus spectrum, in subjects with high-steep high-frequency and continuously steep hearing losses, are highly correlated with the frequency at which hearing loss reaches 50 dB HL.

Audiometric Characteristics and Tinnitus Features in a Cohort of 170 Spanish Patients

“…The weak correlation between these variables is illustrated in Figure 4, which shows a scatter plot of AAT versus THI for the 170 tinnitus patients. Previous studies proved a high correlation between tinnitus pitch (TP) and the frequency at which HL = 50 dB (F50) [18]. subjects of the HI subgroup in this cohort had an average (mean, SD) TP of (5252, 2670) Hz whilst the F50 for the left and right ears (see Figure 3) was 5400 Hz and 7400 Hz, respectively.…”

“…Previous studies proved a high correlation between tinnitus pitch (TP) and the frequency at which HL = 50 dB (F50) [ 18 ]. The subjects of the HI subgroup in this cohort had an average (mean, SD) TP of (5252, 2670) Hz whilst the F50 for the left and right ears (see Figure 3 ) was 5400 Hz and 7400 Hz, respectively.…”

“…AAT , AAT LF , and AAT HF were then used to define two hearing subgroups [ 18 ]: Hearing impaired (HI) subgroup: subjects with any ( HL ( f i )) ≥ 40, AAT ≥ 30, or Normal hearing (NH) subgroup: all other subjects. …”

“…Additionally, low-frequency AAT, AAT LF , was defined as the average for the seven frequencies from 125 to 2000 Hz, and high-frequency AAT, AAT HF , was defined as the average for the four frequencies from 3000 to 8000 Hz. AAT, AAT LF , and AAT HF were then used to define two hearing subgroups [18]:…”

Resultados preliminares del Ambiente Acústico Enriquecido como terapia sonora personalizada del acúfeno

“…However, there are many individuals with HL who do not suffer from tinnitus. In patients with sensorineural HL, the prevalence of tinnitus is higher, and its pitch is higher (>3 kHz) than in those with conductive HL, in which the pitch is lower (<1 kHz; Cuesta and Cobo, 2018). It then appears that the relationship of tinnitus with HL is more complex and that other factors, such as alterations in the synapses between hair cells and the fibres of the auditory nerve, may contribute to the appearance of tinnitus (Paul et al, 2017).…”