Characteristics of tinnitus found in anemia patients and analysis of population-based survey.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed the characteristics of tinnitus identified in anemia patients with cohort- and population-based studies in a single institute and suggests a management algorithm. METHODS: Fifty patients who were treated for anemia and referred for tinnitus treatment were included in a single institute retrospective study. Characteristics of tinnitus were investigated in a correlation analysis with demographic and audiologic parameters. For the population-based study, data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey collected between 2010 and 2011 were analyzed. The study population consisted of 11,402 individuals aged 20-97 years with complete tinnitus-related data. The prevalence of tinnitus in anemia patients was investigated using the questionnaire, and associations between tinnitus and blood/urine parameters were evaluated by binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In a single-institute study, patients with non-pulsatile tinnitus were significantly older and their initial hemoglobin was higher than those with pulsatile tinnitus (p=0.001, 0.008, respectively). In pulsatile tinnitus, age and difference between initial and post-treatment hemoglobin were significantly associated with a subjective improvement in tinnitus (p=0.002, 0.016, respectively). There were no significant audiologic or hematologic parameters associated with the improvement of non-pulsatile tinnitus. In the population-based study, there was no significant correlation between anemia and tinnitus (p=0.064). In a multivariate analysis, age was the only parameter associated with tinnitus in participants with anemia. CONCLUSION: The therapeutic strategy and prognosis of tinnitus in anemia patients differ according to the characteristics of tinnitus and the severity of anemia.