Effective sound therapy using a hearing aid and educational counseling in patients with chronic tinnitus.
Auris Nasus Larynx
; 48(5): 815-822, 2021 Oct.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33461856
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of our sound therapy with appropriate hearing aid fitting and periodic hearing aid adjustment in patients with chronic tinnitus.METHODS:
We conducted a retrospective study. The study included 490 individuals who received treatment with hearing aids for chronic tinnitus at least for 3 months. To determine the effects of tinnitus on patients' quality of life, the participants completed a series of questionnaires, including the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for loudness and annoyance, and questionnaires of subjective symptom improvement. Data were collected at entry and 3 months and 1 year after treatment initiation.RESULTS:
All 490 participants completed the questionnaires at 3 months; however, only 312 completed them at 1 year. The mean ± standard deviation THI score before treatment decreased significantly at 3 months (490participants:
53 ± 25 to 11 ± 16 and 312participants:
55 ± 24 to 12 ± 16) and 1 year (55 ± 24 to 9 ± 14) (P < 0.01). The mean VAS score for tinnitus loudness before treatment decreased significantly at 3 months (490participants:
70 ± 22 to 25 ± 27 and 312participants:
71 ± 22 to 27 ± 26) and 1 year (71 ± 22 to 21 ± 28) (P < 0.01). In addition, the mean VAS score for tinnitus annoyance before treatment decreased significantly at 3 months (490participants:
75 ± 26 to 20 ± 26 and 312participants:
75 ± 25 to 23 ± 27) and 1 year (75 ± 25 to 17 ± 26) (P < 0.01). Approximately 80% of patients noticed improvements in their tinnitus annoyance and loudness, as determined by their responses to the questionnaires of subjective symptom improvement.CONCLUSION:
The results of this study suggest that treatment with sound therapy may ameliorate the symptoms of chronic tinnitus associated with hearing loss.Palabras clave
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Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Acúfeno
/
Estimulación Acústica
/
Educación del Paciente como Asunto
/
Audífonos
Tipo de estudio:
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Auris Nasus Larynx
Año:
2021
Tipo del documento:
Article