Tinnitus as a Potential Risk Factor for Uveitis: A 14-Year Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan

Abstract

Background: Tinnitus and uveitis have shared commonality in pathophysiology in terms of autoimmunity. However, no studies that have linked any association between the conditions of tinnitus and uveitis.

Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted from the Taiwan National Health Insurance database in order to investigate whether tinnitus patients are at increased risk of uveitis. Patients newly diagnosed with tinnitus between 2001 and 2014 were recruited and followed up until 2018. The endpoint of interest was a diagnosis of uveitis.

Results: A total of 31,034 tinnitus patients and 124,136 matched comparisons were analyzed. Tinnitus patients were found to have a significantly higher cumulative incidence for uveitis than those without the diagnosis of tinnitus with incidence rate of 1.68 (95% CI 1.55-1.82) per 10 000 person-months for tinnitus group and 1.48 (95% CI 1.42-1.54) per 10 000 person-months for non-tinnitus group.

Conclusion: Tinnitus patients were found to have increased risk of developing uveitis.

Keywords: age; diabetes; smoking; tinnitus; uveitis.