Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2014; 18 - a2252
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1388663

Comparative Analyses between the Intensity of Hearing Loss in High Frequencies and Its Impact in Tinnitus-Related Quality of Life

Manoela Palmeira da Costa Rodrigues 1, Ana Carolina Filgueiras Teles Radun 1, Patricia Ciminelli Linhares Pinto 1
  • 1Hospital Federal da Lagoa

Introduction: Tinnitus is a symptom defined as the perception of a sound in the ears or head without the presence of an external sound. Ninety percent of the tinnitus patients have some kind of audiometric abnormality. Some papers about the theme show that tinnitus impact in quality of life seems to be more related to psychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety. The impact of tinnitus in the patients’ quality of life was measured by the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI).

Objectives: The goal of this study is to evaluate the correlation between the hearing loss in acute frequencies and the annoyance caused by tinnitus.

Methods: Retrospective study with 69 patients, correlating THI and audiometric findings as tri-tonal average in 4, 6, and 8 kHz. Statistics analyses were made using Pearson linear coefficient.

Results: Pearson linear coefficient where r = 0, meaning that there is no linear interdependence between the variables.

Conclusion: We did not find any correlation between hearing loss and the annoyance caused by tinnitus, which goes according to the literature on the subject.

Keywords: tinnitus, quality of life, hearing loss.