Migraine associated with tinnitus and hearing loss in adults: a systematic review

Abstract

Objective: To describe evidence of migraine-associated tinnitus and hearing loss.

Design: This study was registered in PROSPERO and followed the PRISMA guidelines. The inclusion criteria were observational studies with subjects aged ≥18 years, in which the association between migraine and tinnitus and/or hearing loss was evaluated. Reviews, case reports, commentaries, letters to the editor, and studies that included individuals with some diseases were excluded.

Study sample: The search yielded 698 articles from electronic databases. Six studies were eligible for this review with 26,166 participants.

Results: Most studies have shown an association between migraine and tinnitus, and between migraine and hearing loss. Studies have concluded that migraine presented high odds ratio, and hazard ratio for tinnitus. Another study found a strong association between these conditions (p < 0.001), and two investigations detected the presence of migraine in 10.1 and 22.5% of tinnitus patients. Migraine presented high odds ratio and hazard ratio for hearing loss. Additionally, the studies included were of good quality, adhering to most of the requirements on the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist. However, a limitation of this review is the small number of studies included.

Conclusions: Associations between migraine, tinnitus, and hearing loss were observed in the included studies.

Keywords: Migraine disorders; hearing disorders; hearing loss; systematic review; tinnitus.