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78th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

16.05. - 20.05.2007, Munich

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Chronic stress as trigger of tinnitus and acute hearing loss?

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  • corresponding author Christine Koehler - Universitätsklinik und Poliklinik für HNO-Krankheiten, Kopf- und Halschirurgie, Greifswald, Germany
  • Beatrice Venohr - Institut für Community Medicine, Abt. Versorgungsepidemiologie und Community Health, Greifswald, Germany
  • Judith Lehmann - Universitätsklinik und Poliklinik für HNO-Krankheiten, Kopf- und Halschirurgie, Greifswald, Germany
  • Werner Hosemann - Universitätsklinik und Poliklinik für HNO-Krankheiten, Kopf- und Halschirurgie, Greifswald, Germany
  • Michael Herzog - Universitätsklinik und Poliklinik für HNO-Krankheiten, Kopf- und Halschirurgie, Greifswald, Germany

German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. 78th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. Munich, 16.-20.05.2007. Düsseldorf, Köln: German Medical Science; 2007. Doc07hno035

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/hno2007/07hno035.shtml

Published: August 8, 2007

© 2007 Koehler et al.
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Outline

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Background: Tinnitus and/or acute hearing loss (t/h) as stressor is often reported in literature. Stress as a pathogenetic factor for t/h is frequently supposed with low evidence. Aim of the study was to evaluate the coherence of chronic stress and the genesis of t/h.

Method: 360 patients who were hospitalized in the ENT-clinic of Greifswald were handed out a questionnaire (Trierer Inventar für chronischen Stress, TICS) that examines the sensed stress of the last 3 months. Among these patients 38 individuals suffered from an acute onset of t/h (group t/h) and 66 patients had tumours of the head and neck (group tm). The validated TICS allows us to compare these different groups of questioned patients.

Results and conclusion: An increase of chronic stress in group t/h could not be documented compared to the collective of all admitted patients. The hypothesis of chronic stress as trigger of disease could not be confirmed. Tumor-patients feel less stressed than non-tumor-patients regarding high social or job-related demands. This could be caused by the higher unemployment rate and thus the lack of higher demands. Acute stress as possible trigger for tinnitus and/or acute hearing loss does not get detected with the TICS. The common statement: „I was stressed out in the last time because of exams etc.“ describes the sensed stress of a longer period and should be measurable with TICS. According to the presented study chronic stress can not be regarded as a trigger for tinnitus and sudden hearing loss.