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. 2021 Apr;164(4):859-868.
doi: 10.1177/0194599820957296. Epub 2020 Sep 29.

Prevalence of Tinnitus in an Aging Population and Its Relation to Age and Hearing Loss

Berthe C Oosterloo  1   2 , Pauline H Croll  1   2   3 , Robert J Baatenburg de Jong  1 , M Kamran Ikram  2   4 , André Goedegebure  1   2
Affiliations

Prevalence of Tinnitus in an Aging Population and Its Relation to Age and Hearing Loss

Berthe C Oosterloo et al. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Objectives: Tinnitus is a common hearing-related disorder, which may have a large impact on daily life. With aging populations worldwide, it is important to gain insight in the occurrence of tinnitus at older ages and to understand its relationship with age-related hearing loss. We investigated the prevalence of tinnitus among a general aging population, across age strata and hearing status.

Study design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: The population-based Rotterdam Study.

Methods: A total of 6098 participants underwent tinnitus assessment, and 4805 had additional hearing assessment. We determined tinnitus prevalence per 5-year age groups. Hearing impairment was defined as ≥25-dB HL worse ear pure tone average (0.5, 1, 2, 4 kHz). We investigated with multivariable logistic regression the association between hearing impairment and tinnitus. Tinnitus handicap was assessed in 663 participants with daily tinnitus via the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory-screening version (THI-s).

Results: Tinnitus was prevalent in 21.4% (n = 1304). Prevalent tinnitus was evenly distributed over 5-year age groups. Participants with hearing impairment were more likely to have tinnitus (odds ratio, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.92-2.69) as compared with those without hearing impairment. The median THI-s score was 4 (interquartile range, 0-10), indicating a slight handicap, and 14.6% of the participants reported a moderate or severe handicap (THI-s ≥16).

Conclusions: In a general elderly population, 1 in 5 persons has tinnitus. Of those with tinnitus, for 1 per 10 persons, the presence of tinnitus interfered with daily life. Participants with hearing impairment were twice as likely to have tinnitus. Despite the age-dependent occurrence of hearing impairment, no such age dependency was found for tinnitus.

Keywords: age related; epidemiology; hearing loss; tinnitus.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: Competing interests: None.

Sponsorships: None.

Funding source: This project is partially funded by Heinsius Houbolt. The funder was not involved in the project design, data analysis, data interpretation, or the draft of the manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
In participants with hearing assessment (n = 4805), tinnitus prevalence (95% CI) and average hearing threshold (±1 SD) per 5-year age groups. Hearing threshold: 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz in the worse-hearing ear.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The prevalence of hearing impairment in participants with and without tinnitus (n = 4805), per age category. Odds ratios are adjusted for age and sex. Hearing impairment: ≥25 dB HL over 0.5 to 4 kHz in worse-hearing ear. Values represent proportion ± 95% CI.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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