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. 2022 Feb 18;11(4):1096.
doi: 10.3390/jcm11041096.

Hearing Aid Effects and Satisfaction in Patients with Tinnitus

Hyun Jee Lee  1 , Dae Woong Kang  1 , Seung Geun Yeo  1 , Sang Hoon Kim  1
Affiliations

Hearing Aid Effects and Satisfaction in Patients with Tinnitus

Hyun Jee Lee et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of and satisfaction with hearing aids as a treatment option for tinnitus with hearing loss.

Methods: This retrospective study used the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), the satisfaction with amplification in daily life (SADL) questionnaire, and a medical chart review. A total of 116 patients treated between August 2018 and December 2020 were included. All patients with tinnitus and hearing loss underwent the same counseling sessions. Sixty patients chose to have hearing aids fitted (aided group), whereas 56 patients chose not to (non-aided group). Both the groups had similar audiometric configurations, durations of tinnitus, and ages. Structured interviews were performed, with various measures evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS) and the THI questionnaire, before and six months after fitting the hearing aids. The SADL questionnaire was administered 6 months after fitting the hearing aids.

Results: The patients' THI scores reduced 6 months after the counseling, but the improvement in the THI scores was only significant in the group that received hearing aids. There were significant differences between the VAS scores of the two groups, and the changes in the VAS scores in the groups were statistically different. Subjective satisfaction with a hearing aid increased with improvements to tinnitus-related discomfort.

Conclusion: The study's results indicated that patients with hearing loss and tinnitus can be treated with hearing aids and counseling.

Keywords: counseling; hearing aid; hearing loss; tinnitus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distributions of the usefulness of wearing hearing aids for tinnitus according to the changes in the THI scores. (Aided group, hearing aids with counseling; non-aided group, no hearing aids (counseling only)).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of the VAS (visual analogue scale) scores of the aided group and non-aided group. * p < 0.05 (Aided group, hearing aids with counseling; non-aided group, no hearing aids (counseling only)).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparative graph of the changes in the THI scores of the aided group. * p < 0.05 (F, functional; E, emotional; D, disaster thoughts).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Correlation between the changes in the THI scores and the overall SADL score.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Comparative graph of the SADL scores according to the usefulness of wearing hearing aids for tinnitus. * p < 0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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