Association between hearing status and tinnitus distress

Abstract

Background: Degree of distress perceived due to tinnitus is different in every individual. Underlying mechanisms for this are yet unclear. Objective: Investigating the relationship between hearing status and tinnitus distress. Material and methods: This is a case-control study. 38 individuals with tinnitus, divided into normal hearing (NHT, n = 19) and hearing impaired (HIT, n = 19) groups. Groups were age- and sex matched, had similar educational background, tinnitus duration and lateralization. Participants underwent audiometric evaluation (0.125 to 16 kHz), completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI). Results: NHT group showed significantly lower degrees of tinnitus distress compared to HIT group (p =.021), and THI score was positively correlated with mean tinnitus sided hearing thresholds at 0.5–4 kHz (r = 0.420, p =.012) when corrected for sex, age and educational background. Conclusions: The present study suggests hearing status may play critical role for experienced tinnitus distress, even in individuals with mild to moderate hearing impairment. Significance: This is the first study to investigate the relationship between behavioral hearing ability and tinnitus distress when controlling for age, sex, educational background and age at tinnitus onset. The results provide important information regarding management of tinnitus patients.