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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Neuro-Otology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1501561
This article is part of the Research Topic Bridging the Gap Between the Different Pillars of Tinnitus Research View all 5 articles

Association between Tinnitus and Hearing Impairment among Older Adults with Age-Related Hearing Loss: A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study

Provisionally accepted
Zhifeng Chen Zhifeng Chen 1Yan Lu Yan Lu 1Chenyu Chen Chenyu Chen 2Shaolian Lin Shaolian Lin 1Ting Xie Ting Xie 3Xiaoyang Luo Xiaoyang Luo 1Yanchun Lin Yanchun Lin 1Yuqing Chen Yuqing Chen 1Chaojun Zeng Chaojun Zeng 4*Chang Lin Chang Lin 1*
  • 1 Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
  • 2 Department of Otolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
  • 3 Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
  • 4 Department of Otolaryngology, Affiliated Hospital of Putian University, Putian, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The relationship between tinnitus in the elderly with hearing loss remains elusive. This study aimed to reveal the association between tinnitus and hearing impairment among older adults with age-related hearing loss (ARHL).This cross-sectional study was conducted among a population of outpatients diagnosed with ARHL at four medical centers in different regions of China, from June 2020 to June 2023. ARHL patients were divided into two groups based on their self-reported tinnitus: tinnitus and nontinnitus. Multivariable linear regression models were used to assess the association between tinnitus and hearing impairment in ARHL patients. Subgroup analyses, stratified by gender and age, were performed to further evaluate the association.Results: A total of 418 older adults with ARHL were included in the study. Compared to the nontinnitus group, ARHL patients with tinnitus had lower hearing thresholds (β = -5.07; 95% confidence interval (CI) -9.32 to -0.81; P = 0.020). On subgroup analyses stratified by gender and age, the male ARHL patients with tinnitus still had lower hearing thresholds compared to those without tinnitus (β = -6.96; 95% CI -12.70 to 1.22; P = 0.018). In females, tinnitus was not associated with hearing thresholds (β = -3.69; 95% CI -10.11 to 2.74, P = 0.262). There was no association between tinnitus and hearing thresholds in both the age group of ≥ 70 years (β = -4.31; 95% CI -9.65 to 1.03; P = 0.116) and the age group of < 70 years (β = -3.54; 95% CI -9.96 to 2.89; P = 0.282).Based on this multi-center cross-sectional study, we reveal that there is no evidence for the assumption that tinnitus may exacerbate hearing loss in the elderly for the first time. On the contrary, tinnitus is associated with better hearing in the male elderly with ARHL. More extensive longitudinal studies are needed to give a comprehensive insight of the present findings and the underlying mechanisms.

    Keywords: Tinnitus, age-related hearing loss, pure-tone average, gender, Elderly, Association

    Received: 25 Sep 2024; Accepted: 14 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chen, Lu, Chen, Lin, Xie, Luo, Lin, Chen, Zeng and Lin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Chaojun Zeng, Department of Otolaryngology, Affiliated Hospital of Putian University, Putian, China
    Chang Lin, Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China

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