Tinnitus Is Common, But Treatment Guidelines Are Rarely Followed

Despite roughly 1 in 10 US adults having tinnitus, guidelines for treating the condition are infrequently followed, according to a recent study.

While tinnitus is a common problem that can be greatly detrimental to quality of life, data on the condition and its management are lacking. For this reason, researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey.
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Of the 75,764 adults surveyed, 9.6% reported tinnitus in the past year, with roughly 27% saying their symptoms had lasted longer than 15 years and 36% saying they had nearly constant symptoms.

Higher rates of tinnitus were associated with exposure to loud noises at work and during recreational time. Only 49.4% of participants had discussed their tinnitus with a physician, with medication being the most frequent recommendation (45.4%). Other recommendations included hearing aids (9.2%), wearable (2.6%) and nonwearable (2.3%) masking devices, and cognitive behavioral therapy (0.2%).

“The prevalence of tinnitus in the United States is approximately 1 in 10 adults. Durations of occupational and leisure time noise exposures correlated with rates of tinnitus and are likely targetable risk factors. Management options suggested by the recently published AAO-HNSF [American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation] guidelines were followed infrequently,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Bhatt JM, Lin HW, Bhattacharyya N. Prevalence, severity, exposures, and treatment patterns of tinnitus in the United States [published online July 21, 2016]. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2016.1700.