gms | German Medical Science

Introduction: Tinnitus is a common sensation that affects between 7-32% of the population. In elderly population there are many causes of tinnitus: age – hearing loss related and other otologic problems, neurologic and cardiovascular conditions, some medications or rheumatologic problems. The purpose of this study was to determine the possible causes of tinnitus in elderly population and the psychosocial implications resulted.

Material and methods: Our clinical study was a retrospective on 590 patients hospitalized in our ENT service aged up to 60 years during 1 year. All subjects were assessed only for subjective tinnitus and for different comorbidities. For the patients diagnosed with subjective tinnitus we prescribed medical therapy and alternative medicine treatments. Tinnitus severity was assessed using the tinnitus handicap inventory – screening version.

Results: Tinnitus was reported at 28% patients with no significant difference related to sex, origin, drinking or smoking, but a significant association with risk factors – exposure to noise, cardiovascular problems, diabetes and associated auricular pathology. Regarding the treatment, the 2 groups were compared in relation to the intensity of tinnitus, the degree of depression and the treatment benefits. In 2/3 of the cases patients treated with alternative medicine treatments or with electronic devices showed an improvement in life quality compared with those who received medical treatment.

Conclusion: Although tinnitus isn’t a condition in itself but a symptom, it represents a common problem of the elderly population. Its association with treatable conditions reduces the quality of life and argues the necessity of using complementary strategies.

Keywords: Tinnitus, treatment, quality of life

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