High and Ultra High Hearing Loss in Tinnitus Patients

Abstract

Objective: Investigate the incidence of high- (>2 kHz; HFHL) and ultra-high-frequency (>8 kHz; UHFHL) hearing loss in tinnitus patients with subjectively normal hearing, and to evaluate their effects on the clinical and audiological features of the patients.

Method: The sample included 85 patients with sensorineural tinnitus who had normal hearing sensitivity in frequencies from 250 Hz to2 kHz, and who had received extended high-frequency audiometry between July 2009 and February 2010. We investigated the incidence of HFHL and UHFHL in the subjects and analyzed their significance.

Results: The incidence of HFHL and UHFHL in the subjects was 88%. The proportion of patients with UHFHL, in the subjects who had normal hearing sensitivity up to 8 kHz, was about 74%. The patients with normal hearing sensitivity at all test frequencies were significantly younger and had greater otoacoustic emission responses, and mean loudness of tinnitus as measured by tinnitus matching was significantly lower than the patients with HFHL and UHFHL. However, other analysis about clinical aspects of HFHL and UHFHL did not show any significance.

Conclusion: Even if the patients with tinnitus do not feel any hearing impairment subjectively, most of them have high- and ultra-high-frequency hearing loss. But their effects on the clinical features of the patients are vague.