The International Tinnitus Journal

Factors affecting severity of tinnitus - a follow-up study of tinnitus subjects at an Ear Nose Throat clinic in Sweden

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to examine whether perceived tinnitus severity changes over time, and if so what factors contribute to this change.

DESIGN: A modified Swedish version of tinnitus severity questionnaire (MS-TSQ) was used to examine changes in tinnitus severity over a period of time.

STUDY SAMPLE: The MS-TSQ questionnaire was completed by 455 subjects visiting an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) clinic in Sweden as part of baseline assessment (Sb). The same questionnaire was completed during follow-up assessment (Sf) by 174 of these subjects to examine changes in tinnitus severity, if any. The difference in scores obtained from the two assessments was calculated and was termed as difference scores (Sd).

RESULTS: Results of analyses of variance (ANOVA) indicated significant reduction in tinnitus severity from Sb to Sf scores (p < 0.001). Subjects with noise induced hearing loss showed significantly lower Sd scores than subjects with unspecified sensorineural hearing loss (p < 0.01). The group who received psychological treatment for tinnitus obtained significantly higher Sd than those who did not (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: Results provide valuable framework for understanding the factors that affect tinnitus severity over a period of time.