A study of auditory hypersensitivity observed in tinnitus patients

Abstract

　 While TRT (Tinnitus Retraining Therapy) is the first line of treatment for tinnitus, it is often difficult to conduct sound therapy for patients with hyperacusis. At our department, patients are assessed by both the HQ (Hyperacusis Questionnaire), which is used to assess the severity of auditory hyperacusis, and UCL (Uncomfortable level) measurement before the start of treatment, to evaluate the possible presence of hyperacusis associated with tinnitus. In the present paper, the relationships among the HQ score, UCL and scores on the conventional questionnaires administered to tinnitus patients (THI: Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, HADS: Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale) were retrospectively examined in 131 patients who visited our department from January 2015 to December 2016. There were strongly positive correlations among the THI, HQ and HADS A scores (HQ vs. HADS (A score), r=0.626, p<0.05; THI vs. HQ, r=0.649, p<0.05; HADS (A score) vs. HQ, r=0.506, p<0.05), and a somewhat weaker positive correlation between the HQ and HADS D scores (r=0.322, p<0.05). However, there were no significant correlations among THI and HQ scores, and the UCL. The present results seem to indicate that it would be difficult to use UCL to estimate the subjective severity of tinnitus and/or auditory hyperacusis, and also suggest the possible existence of a correlation between the development of tinnitus and hyperacusis.