Effect of age, gender and hearing loss on the degree of discomfort due to tinnitus

Abstract

Introduction: Tinnitus is one of the complex symptoms of hearing described as a phantom auditory sensation without any external stimulation. Due to the subjective nature of tinnitus, perception and discomfort of tinnitus vary among the patients. The main aim of this study is to investigate the effects of gender, age and the degree of hearing loss on discomfort due to tinnitus. Methods: Eighteen patients with tinnitus, aged 21-72 years, (9 males and 9 females) were recruited. Tinnitus discomfort was investigated by Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaire. Psychoacoustic assessments of tinnitus and auditory threshold assessments were evaluated using a 2-channel clinical audiometer. Results: The results showed no significant correlation between THI scores with loudness matching (P=0.187), mean of auditory threshold (P=0.304), gender (P=0.93) and age (P=0.200). Also, no significant correlation was found between maximal level of hearing loss and pitch matching (P=0.208). Conclusion: The study findings suggests that tinnitus is not correlated with age, gender and hearing loss. Overall, tinnitus is a complicated clinical condition which its real impact and degree of discomfort are unclear. More investigation is needed to clarify the factors involving in tinnitus annoyance.