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. 2021 Aug;11(8):e02074.
doi: 10.1002/brb3.2074. Epub 2021 Jul 21.

The evaluation of global cognitive and emotional status of older patients with chronic tinnitus

Anna Rita Fetoni  1   2 , Tiziana Di Cesare  2 , Stefano Settimi  2 , Bruno Sergi  1   2 , Giorgia Rossi  2 , Rita Malesci  3 , Camillo Marra  2   4 , Gaetano Paludetti  1   2 , Eugenio De Corso  1   2
Affiliations

The evaluation of global cognitive and emotional status of older patients with chronic tinnitus

Anna Rita Fetoni et al. Brain Behav. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Objectives: Tinnitus is a common symptom largely impactful on quality of life, especially in the elderly. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of self-administered screening tests to correlate the severity of subjective perception of tinnitus with emotional disorders and the overall cognitive status.

Methods: Patients aged ≥ 55 years with chronic tinnitus were recruited and submitted to a complete audiological evaluation; Tinnitus Handicap inventory (THI); Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-A and HADS-D) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Demographic and audiological features of patients with and without cognitive impairment (MMSE score cut-off of 24/30) were analyzed in order to reveal the relationship among tinnitus, emotional disorders, and cognitive dysfunction.

Results: 102 patients were recruited (mean age: 70.4 ± 9.6). THI score was directly related to HADS-A score (r = .63) HADS-D score (r = .66), whereas there was no relationship between tinnitus severity and MMSE (r = .13). CI and n-CI groups did not differ in the characteristics of tinnitus (p > .05), however, hearing threshold (p = .049) and anxious depressive traits measured with HADS-A (p = .044) and HADS-D (p = .016) were significantly higher in the group with cognitive impairment. Furthermore, age ≥ 75 years (p = .002, OR = 13.8), female sex (p = .032; OR = 6.5), severe hearing loss (p = .036; OR = 2.3), and anxiety (p = .029; OR = 9.2) resulted risk factors for CI. Therefore, in CI group MMSE score was inversely related to age (r = -.84).

Conclusions: Cognitive impairment and psychiatric discomfort should be considered in tinnitus patients, related to increasing age, female sex, and severe hearing loss. Thus, self-administered questionnaires can be useful in addressing clinical approach.

Keywords: cognitive impairment; older patients; psychiatric disorders; tinnitus.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors have not received any funds from any kind of organization; the study is entirely the result of our work. We deny any kind of conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The average audiogram of both ears in our sample (mean PTA = 39.7 ± 22.65 dB HL); min: lowest observation; max: highest observation
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Histograms display percentage distribution of patients in the different levels of severity of hearing loss and tinnitus perception
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Relationship between THI score and HADS‐A score; Pearson's r = .63
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Relationship between THI score and HADS‐D score; Pearson's r = .66
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Relationship between THI score and MMSE score; Pearson's r = .13
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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