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. 2025 Jan;35(1):118-123.
doi: 10.1038/s41370-024-00668-9. Epub 2024 Apr 3.

Noise annoyance due to different sources is associated with tinnitus presence and distress in the general population

Omar Hahad #  1   2 , Julia Döge #  3 , Katharina Bahr-Hamm  3 , Manfred E Beutel  4 , Konstantin Kontohow-Beckers  5 , Alexander K Schuster  6 , Karsten Keller  7   8   9 , Lukas Hobohm  7   8 , Volker H Schmitt  7   10 , Emilio Gianicolo  11   12 , Karl J Lackner  13 , Andreas Daiber  7   10 , Philipp S Wild  10   5   8   14 , Berit Hackenberg  3 , Thomas Münzel  7   10
Affiliations

Noise annoyance due to different sources is associated with tinnitus presence and distress in the general population

Omar Hahad et al. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2025 Jan.

Abstract

Background: The pathophysiology of tinnitus is not yet fully understood. Although there is a large amount of evidence associating traffic noise exposure with non-auditory health outcomes, there is no evidence regarding the impact of noise annoyance on auditory disorders such as tinnitus.

Objective: Thus, we aimed to investigate the association between noise annoyance due to different sources and tinnitus presence and distress in the general population.

Methods: Data of 6813 participants from a large German population-based cohort were used (Gutenberg Health Study). Participants were asked about the presence of tinnitus and how much they were bothered by it. In addition, information on annoyance from road traffic, aircraft, railways, industrial, and neighborhood noise during the day and sleep was collected through validated questionnaires.

Results: The prevalence of tinnitus was 27.3%, and the predominant sources of noise annoyance in these subjects were aircraft, neighborhood, and road traffic noise. Overall, logistic regression results demonstrated consistent positive associations between annoyance due to different noise sources and prevalent risk of tinnitus with increases in odds ratios ranging from 4 to 11% after adjustment for sex, age, and socioeconomic status. Likewise, consistent increases in odds ratios were observed for tinnitus distress in subjects with prevalent tinnitus. For instance, neighborhood noise annoyance during the sleep was associated with a 26% increase in tinnitus distress (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.13; 1.39).

Impact: This is the first study investigating the association between noise annoyance and tinnitus presence and distress in a large cohort of the general population. Our results indicate consistent and positive associations between various sources of noise annoyance and tinnitus. These unprecedented findings are highly relevant as noise annoyance and tinnitus are widespread. The precise etiology and locus of tinnitus remain unknown, but excessive noise exposure is thought to be among the major causes. This study suggests that transportation and neighborhood noise levels thought merely to contribute to annoyance and non-auditory health effects may be sufficient to cause or exacerbate tinnitus.

Keywords: Auditory system; Environmental risk factor; Noise annoyance; Stress; Tinnitus; Tinnitus distress.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical approval: All procedures conducted in the GHS were approved by the ethics committee of the Statutory Physician Board of the State Rhineland-Palatinate [reference number 837.020.07(5555)] and the local data safety commissioners and were in line with the ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects as outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. Before inclusion in the study, written informed consent was obtained from each participant.

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