Evaluation of complaints of hearing difficulty among tinnitus patients with normal hearing

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate factors contributing to hearing difficulties among tinnitus patients with normal hearing.
Methods: Tinnitus patients with normal hearing were classified into two groups, a group “without handicap” and a group “with handicap,” based on the scores on the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults, and their characteristics were compared.
Results: Among 188 patients, 142 were classified into the “without handicap" group and 46 into the “with handicap" group. The “with handicap" group exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of cases (13 cases, 28.3%) with a difference of 5dB or more in the average hearing thresholds between the left and right ears as compared to the “without handicap" group (20 cases, 14.1%, p<0.05). Additionally, unilateral tinnitus was significantly more prevalent in the “with handicap" group (32 cases, 69.6%) than in the “without handicap" group (66 cases, 46.5%, p<0.01). The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory score was higher in the “with handicap" group (57 points) than in the “without handicap" group (28 points). Similarly, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score was also higher in the “with handicap" group (16 points) as compared to the “without handicap" group (10 points) (p<0.001, each).
Conclusion: This study suggests that complaints of hearing difficulty among tinnitus patients with normal hearing are associated with hearing asymmetry, tinnitus asymmetry, tinnitus severity, depression, and anxiety.