Hyperacusis, sound annoyance, and loudness hypersensitivity in children.

The objective of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of hyperacusis among school-aged children. We define hyperacusis as lowered loudness discomfort levels (LDL) associated with an abnormal annoyance to sounds. We used questionnaires, interviews, and estimates of LDL in a study of 506 children from 5 to 12 years of age from 15 different schools. Participants with LDL in the lowest 5th percentile were classified as having loudness hypersensitivity; an abnormal annoyance to sounds if they responded "yes" to the question "Are you bothered by any kind of sounds or noise?" could describe the sound, and were able to identify at least 10 sounds from a list of 20 as being annoying. Phonophobia was defined as a fear of sound. Children with LDL in the lowest 5th percentile typically had LDLs lower than 90 dB HL; 42% of the participants in this group were bothered by sounds and 3.2% had hyperacusis. Fifty percent of the participants with hyperacusis had tinnitus and mild hearing loss in the left ear was an associated risk factor. Phonophobia was experienced by 9% of the children. It is concluded that hyperacusis in children is prevalent, and should be considered in clinical examinations.

Tinnitus in children and associated risk factors.

The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of tinnitus and explore the risk factors in school-aged children age 5-12 years. For that we asked "Do you hear a noise inside your ears/head?" and required children to be able to describe the sounds perceived and their location. We refer to this as tinnitus sensation. Additionally, we asked "Does it bother or annoy you?" and "In what situations does it bother or annoy you?" to determine if this experience was bothersome. We refer to this as tinnitus annoyance. Associations to demographic and audiological factors were studied. Approximately 37% of children reported tinnitus sensation and 17% reported tinnitus annoyance. Related factors were age, hearing loss, and history of noise exposure, motion sickness and hyperacusis. Estimates of the prevalence of tinnitus clearly depend on how tinnitus is defined. In the present study, participants were asked "Do you hear a noise inside your ears/head?" but we did not make distinctions regarding the duration or character of their tinnitus. Our estimates of tinnitus annoyance were also broad, and did not attempt to quantify the degree of annoyance.