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. 2021 Nov 4:12:100250.
doi: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2021.100250. eCollection 2022 Jan.

Tinnitus prevalence in Europe: a multi-country cross-sectional population study

R Biswas  1   2 , A Lugo  2 , M A Akeroyd  1 , W Schlee  3 , S Gallus  2 , D A Hall  1   4
Affiliations

Tinnitus prevalence in Europe: a multi-country cross-sectional population study

R Biswas et al. Lancet Reg Health Eur. .

Abstract

Background: Tinnitus prevalence studies report large variability across countries that might be due to inconsistent research methods. Our study aimed to report a single Pan-European estimate for tinnitus prevalence and investigate the effect of individual and country-level characteristics on prevalence. We explored the relationships of healthcare resource use and hearing difficulty with tinnitus symptoms.

Methods: Between 2017-2018, a cross-sectional European Tinnitus Survey (ETS) was conducted in 12 European Union nations (Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Spain), using a standardised set of tinnitus-related questions and response options in country-specific languages. We recruited 11,427 adults aged ≥18 years.

Findings: Prevalence of any tinnitus was 14·7% (14·0% in men and 15·2% in women), ranging from 8·7% in Ireland to 28·3% in Bulgaria. Severe tinnitus was found in 1·2% participants (1·0% in men and 1·4% in women), ranging from 0·6% in Ireland to 4·2% in Romania. Tinnitus prevalence significantly increased with increasing age and worsening of hearing status. Healthcare resource use for tinnitus increased with increasing tinnitus symptom severity.

Interpretation: This is the first multinational report of Pan-European tinnitus prevalence using standardised questions. The overall prevalence estimates refine previous findings, although widespread inter-country heterogeneity was noted. The results indicate that more than 1 in 7 adults in the EU have tinnitus. Extrapolating to the overall population, approximately 65 million adults in EU28 have tinnitus, 26 million have bothersome tinnitus and 4 million have severe tinnitus.

Funding: National Institute for Health Research, European Union's Horizon 2020, Medical Research Council, and GENDER-Net Co-Plus Fund.

Keywords: epidemiology; health resources; hearing loss; survey; tinnitus.

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Conflict of interest statement

DAH provides scientific consultancy for Neuromod Devices Ltd and is in receipt of honoraria from Elsevier. WS is the executive director of Lenox UG, consulting. Lenox UG provides scientific consultancy for Pansatori GmbH and realised a project together with Sivantos. WS is a speaker of the Scientific Advisory Board of Pansatori GmbH, and scientific organiser for the Tinnitus Research Initiative (TRI). All other authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Colour gradient map of (A) prevalence of any tinnitus, (B) prevalence of bothersome tinnitus, (C) prevalence of severe tinnitus, (D) healthcare resource use for tinnitus, and (E) national GDP per capita per annum. Data are for 12 European countries, measured between 2017 and 2018. The darker the colour the greater the values, and numeric values are reported in the bottom right panel.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pan-European distribution of any, bothersome, and severe tinnitus by sex and age groups in deciles.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pan-European pattern of healthcare resource use according to tinnitus severity. ‘Use’ defined by the reported number of visits to the family doctor, or healthcare professional at a clinic or hospital about problems for tinnitus during the past year.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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