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Langguth B, Kleinjung T, Schlee W, Vanneste S, De Ridder D. Tinnitus Guidelines and Their Evidence Base. J Clin Med 2023; 12:jcm12093087. [PMID: 37176527 PMCID: PMC10178961 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12093087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is generally accepted as the gold standard for high-quality medicine and, thus, for managing patients with tinnitus. EBM integrates the best available scientific information with clinical experience and patient values to guide decision-making about clinical management. To help health care providers and clinicians, the available evidence is commonly translated into medical or clinical guidelines based on a consensus. These involve a systematic review of the literature and meta-analytic aggregation of research findings followed by the formulation of clinical recommendations. However, this approach also has limitations, which include a lack of consideration of individual patient characteristics, the susceptibility of guideline recommendations to material and immaterial conflicts of interest of guideline authors and long latencies till new knowledge is implemented in guidelines. A further important aspect in interpreting the existing literature is that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. These circumstances could result in the decoupling of recommendations and their supporting evidence, which becomes evident when guidelines from different countries differ in their recommendations. This opinion paper will discuss how these weaknesses can be addressed in tinnitus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berthold Langguth
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
- Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Clinic, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Kleinjung
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Winfried Schlee
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
- Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Clinic, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
- Institute for Information and Process Management, Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, 9001 St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Sven Vanneste
- Trinity Institute for Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, Ireland
- Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, Ireland
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, Ireland
| | - Dirk De Ridder
- Section of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
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Vijayakumar KA, Cho GW, Maharajan N, Jang CH. A Review on Peripheral Tinnitus, Causes, and Treatments from the Perspective of Autophagy. Exp Neurobiol 2022; 31:232-242. [PMID: 36050223 PMCID: PMC9471415 DOI: 10.5607/en22002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Tinnitus is the perception of phantom noise without any external auditory sources. The degeneration of the function or activity of the peripheral or central auditory nervous systems is one of the causes of tinnitus. This damage has numerous causes, such as loud noise, aging, and ototoxicity. All these sources excite the cells of the auditory pathway, producing reactive oxygen species that leads to the death of sensory neural hair cells. This causes involuntary movement of the tectorial membrane, resulting in the buzzing noise characteristic of tinnitus. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic scavenging activity inside a cell that has evolved as a cell survival mechanism. Numerous studies have demonstrated the effect of autophagy against oxidative stress, which is one of the reasons for cell excitation. This review compiles several studies that highlight the role of autophagy in protecting sensory neural hair cells against oxidative stress-induced damage. This could facilitate the development of strategies to treat tinnitus by activating autophagy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karthikeyan A Vijayakumar
- Department of Biology, College of Natural Science, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Korea.,BK21 FOUR Education Research Group for Age-Associated Disorder Control Technology, Department of Integrative Biological Science, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Korea
| | - Gwang-Won Cho
- Department of Biology, College of Natural Science, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Korea.,BK21 FOUR Education Research Group for Age-Associated Disorder Control Technology, Department of Integrative Biological Science, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Korea
| | - Nagarajan Maharajan
- Department of Biology, College of Natural Science, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Korea.,BK21 FOUR Education Research Group for Age-Associated Disorder Control Technology, Department of Integrative Biological Science, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Korea
| | - Chul Ho Jang
- Department of Otolaryngology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju 61469, Korea
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Kikidis D, Vassou E, Schlee W, Iliadou E, Markatos N, Triantafyllou A, Langguth B. Methodological Aspects of Randomized Controlled Trials for Tinnitus: A Systematic Review and How a Decision Support System Could Overcome Barriers. J Clin Med 2021; 10:1737. [PMID: 33923778 PMCID: PMC8074073 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10081737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Although a wide range of tinnitus management interventions is currently under research and a variety of therapeutic interventions have already been applied in clinical practice, no optimal and universal tinnitus treatment has been reached yet. This fact is to some extent a consequence of the high heterogeneity of the methodologies used in tinnitus related clinical studies. In this manuscript, we have identified, summarized, and critically appraised tinnitus-related randomized clinical trials since 2010, aiming at systematically mapping the research conducted in this area. The results of our analysis of the 73 included randomized clinical trials provide important insight on the identification of limitations of previous works, methodological pitfalls or gaps in current knowledge, a prerequisite for the adequate interpretation of current literature and execution of future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrios Kikidis
- First Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hippokration General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15772 Athens, Greece; (E.V.); (E.I.); (N.M.); (A.T.)
| | - Evgenia Vassou
- First Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hippokration General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15772 Athens, Greece; (E.V.); (E.I.); (N.M.); (A.T.)
| | - Winfried Schlee
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Universität Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (W.S.); (B.L.)
| | - Eleftheria Iliadou
- First Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hippokration General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15772 Athens, Greece; (E.V.); (E.I.); (N.M.); (A.T.)
| | - Nikolaos Markatos
- First Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hippokration General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15772 Athens, Greece; (E.V.); (E.I.); (N.M.); (A.T.)
| | - Aikaterini Triantafyllou
- First Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hippokration General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15772 Athens, Greece; (E.V.); (E.I.); (N.M.); (A.T.)
| | - Berthold Langguth
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Universität Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (W.S.); (B.L.)
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Abstract
Tinnitus is a common symptom for which there is in most cases no causal therapy. The search for an improvement of tinnitus through pharmacological interventions has a long tradition. The observation that tinnitus can be transiently suppressed by the use of lidocaine has shown that the symptom is susceptible to pharmacotherapy. So far, however, no medication has been found for either acute or chronic subjective tinnitus that reliably leads to a long-term reduction or even complete disappearance of the symptom for the majority of tinnitus sufferers. Nevertheless, in everyday clinical life, drugs are frequently used, usually off-label, to relieve tinnitus or tinnitus-associated symptoms (e.g. sleep disturbance, depression, anxiety disorder or hearing loss). This chapter shows the different approaches to acute and chronic subjective tinnitus by means of pharmacotherapeutic interventions. Furthermore, this review reports on the scientific studies carried out in this area in recent years and explains the difficulties in finding a suitable medication for most forms of tinnitus. In addition, it reports on the pharmacotherapeutic options for objective tinnitus and describes the development of tinnitus as a side effect of certain drugs. Finally, possible target structures are mentioned, which should possibly be addressed in pharmacological studies in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Kleinjung
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Berthold Langguth
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Center, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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Langguth B, Elgoyhen AB, Cederroth CR. Therapeutic Approaches to the Treatment of Tinnitus. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 2019; 59:291-313. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-010818-021556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Tinnitus is a highly prevalent condition that is associated with hearing loss in most cases. In the absence of external stimuli, phantom perceptions of sounds emerge from alterations in neuronal activity within central auditory and nonauditory structures. Pioneering studies using lidocaine revealed that tinnitus is susceptible to pharmacological interventions. However, lidocaine is not effective in all patients, and no other drug has been identified with clear efficacy for the long-term treatment of tinnitus. In this review, we present recent advances in tinnitus research, including more detailed knowledge of its pathophysiology and involved neurotransmitter systems. Moreover, we summarize results from animal and clinical treatment studies as well as from studies that identified tinnitus as a side effect of pharmacological treatments. Finally, we focus on challenges in the development of pharmacological compounds for the treatment of tinnitus, namely the limitations of available animal models and of standardized clinical research methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berthold Langguth
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, and Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Clinic, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ana Belen Elgoyhen
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular “Dr. Héctor N. Torres,” Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 1121 Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Onishi ET, Coelho CCDB, Oiticica J, Figueiredo RR, Guimarães RDCC, Sanchez TG, Gürtler AL, Venosa AR, Sampaio ALL, Azevedo AA, Pires APBDÁ, Barros BBDC, Oliveira CACPD, Saba C, Yonamine FK, Medeiros ÍRTD, Rosito LPS, Rates MJA, Kii MA, Fávero ML, Santos MADO, Person OC, Ciminelli P, Marcondes RDA, Moreira RKDP, Torres SDMS. Tinnitus and sound intolerance: evidence and experience of a Brazilian group. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol 2018; 84:135-149. [PMID: 29339026 PMCID: PMC9449167 DOI: 10.1016/j.bjorl.2017.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Tinnitus and sound intolerance are frequent and subjective complaints that may have an impact on a patient's quality of life. Objective To present a review of the salient points including concepts, pathophysiology, diagnosis and approach of the patient with tinnitus and sensitivity to sounds. Methods Literature review with bibliographic survey in LILACS, SciELO, Pubmed and MEDLINE database. Articles and book chapters on tinnitus and sound sensitivity were selected. The several topics were discussed by a group of Brazilian professionals and the conclusions were described. Results The prevalence of tinnitus has increased over the years, often associated with hearing loss, metabolic factors and inadequate diet. Medical evaluation should be performed carefully to guide the request of subsidiary exams. Currently available treatments range from medications to the use of sounds with specific characteristics and meditation techniques, with variable results. Conclusion A review on tinnitus and auditory sensitivity was presented, allowing the reader a broad view of the approach to these patients, based on scientific evidence and national experience.
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Azevedo AA, Figueiredo RR, Elgoyhen AB, Langguth B, Penido NDO, Schlee W. Tinnitus Treatment with Oxytocin: A Pilot Study. Front Neurol 2017; 8:494. [PMID: 28983279 PMCID: PMC5613090 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2017.00494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of an external stimulus. It is a frequent condition for which there is as yet no pharmacological treatment approved. Auditory and non-auditory pathways are involved in tinnitus’ pathophysiology. Oxytocin is a neurohormone and eventual neurotransmitter that plays a complex role in social cognition and behavior. Objective To evaluate the potential of oxytocin as a tinnitus treatment. Study design Two studies were performed. Study 1 was a long-term open pilot study, while study 2 investigated short-term effects with a double-blinded placebo-controlled cross-over study. Setting Ambulatory ENT care. Subjects and method In study 1, 15 patients were investigated over a 10-week period in an open pilot study. In study 2, 16 patients were included in a placebo-controlled crossover trial to investigate short-term effects following a single dose. Results For the long-term study (study 1), analysis of variance revealed a significant decrease in tinnitus sensation, both for the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and Clinical Global Impression (CGI). Also, the short-term effects in study 2 revealed a significant reduction of tinnitus because of the oxytocin nasal spray as measured with the Visual Analog Scale and the CGI Scale. Conclusion These preliminary studies demonstrated that oxytocin may represent a helpful tool for treating tinnitus and further larger controlled studies are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ana Belen Elgoyhen
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres", CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Farmacología, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Berthold Langguth
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Winfried Schlee
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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Hesse G. Evidence and evidence gaps in tinnitus therapy. GMS CURRENT TOPICS IN OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY, HEAD AND NECK SURGERY 2016; 15:Doc04. [PMID: 28025604 PMCID: PMC5169077 DOI: 10.3205/cto000131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
A nearly endless number of procedures has been tried and in particular sold for the treatment of tinnitus, unfortunately they have not been evaluated appropriately in an evidence-based way. A causal therapy, omitting the tinnitus still does not exist, actually it cannot exist because of the various mechanisms of its origin. However or perhaps because of that, medical interventions appear and reappear like fashion trends that can never be proven by stable and reliable treatment success. This contribution will discuss and acknowledge all current therapeutic procedures and the existing or non-existing evidence will be assessed. Beside external evidence, the term of evidence also encompasses the internal evidence, i.e. the experience of the treating physician and the patient's needs shall be included. While there is no evidence for nearly all direct procedures that intend modulating or stimulating either the cochlea or specific cervical regions such as the auditory cortex, there are therapeutic procedures that are acknowledged in clinical practice and have achieved at least a certain degree of evidence and generate measurable effect sizes. Those are in particular habituation therapy and psychotherapeutic measures, especially if they are combined with concrete measures for improved audio perception (hearing aids, CI, hearing therapies).
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard Hesse
- Tinnitus-Klinik, Bad Arolsen, Germany; University of Witten-Herdecke, Germany
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Beebe Palumbo D, Joos K, De Ridder D, Vanneste S. The Management and Outcomes of Pharmacological Treatments for Tinnitus. Curr Neuropharmacol 2016; 13:692-700. [PMID: 26467416 PMCID: PMC4761638 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x13666150415002743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2015] [Revised: 03/12/2015] [Accepted: 04/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Tinnitus, a phantom sensation experienced by people around the world, currently is endured
without a known cure. Some find the condition tolerable, while others are tortured on a daily basis
from the incessant phantom noises. For those who seek treatment, oftentimes, they have a comorbid
condition (e.g., depression, anxiety, insomnia), which is treated pharmaceutically. These products aim
to reduce the comorbities associated with tinnitus thereby minimizing the overall burden present.
Because of the phantom nature of tinnitus, it is often compared to neurologic pain. Since pain can be managed with
pharmaceutical options, it is reasonable to assume that similar agents might work to alleviate tinnitus. The effects of
antidepressants, benzodiazepines, anticonvulsants, and glutamate antagonists are reviewed in this paper. Table 1 summarizes
the pharmaceutical products discussed. Due to the variety of comorbid factors and potential causes of tinnitus, there may
not be one pharmaceutical treatment that will combat every type of tinnitus. Nevertheless, a product that finally addresses
the true cause of tinnitus, and not just its comorbidities, will benefit millions of people worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Sven Vanneste
- Lab for Auditory & Integrative Neuroscience, School of Behavioral & Brain Science, University of Texas at Dallas, W 1966 Inwood Rd, Dallas, Texas 75235, USA
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Tinnitus, the perception of sound in the absence of a corresponding external acoustic stimulus, is a highly prevalent and frequently severely impairing disorder with worldwide impact. In this article after a short overview about epidemiology and pathophysiology the currently available treatment options will be discussed with specific consideration of the available evidence, their mechanisms of action and their limitations. RECENT FINDINGS During the last decades, advances in neuroimaging methods and the development of animal models have contributed to an increasing understanding of the neuronal correlates of tinnitus and have motivated the development of innovative brain-based treatment approaches for directly targeting the neuronal correlates of tinnitus. A further important development has been the insight that there exist different forms of tinnitus that differ in their pathophysiology and their response to specific treatments. SUMMARY Treatment of tinnitus should be based on a comprehensive diagnosis of etiologic and concomitant aspects of an individual's tinnitus. Already today a large variety of therapeutic interventions are available, which can efficiently reduce tinnitus severity. Several innovative treatment approaches are currently under development.
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Partial to complete suppression of unilateral noise-induced tinnitus in rats after cyclobenzaprine treatment. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2014; 16:263-72. [PMID: 25526855 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-014-0500-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Some forms of tinnitus are believed to arise from abnormal central nervous system activity following a single or repeated noise exposure, for which there are no widely accepted pharmacological treatments. One central site that could be related to tinnitus awareness or modulation is the locus coeruleus, a brainstem structure associated with stress, arousal, and attention. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of cyclobenzaprine, a drug known to act on the rat locus coeruleus, on noise-induced tinnitus using Gap Prepulse Inhibition of the Acoustic Startle (GPIAS). In untreated rats, brief silent gaps presented prior to a 5-10-kHz bandpass startling stimulus produced robust GPIAS. Treatment with cyclobenzaprine alone had no effect on the ability of gaps to suppress the startle response. When animals were exposed to intense narrow-band (126 dB SPL, 16 kHz, 100 Hz BW) unilateral noise, GPIAS was significantly reduced, suggesting the presence of tinnitus. Following the noise exposure, a subset of rats that maintained a robust startle response continued to show GPIAS impairment at 6-20 kHz, 40 days post-noise, suggesting chronic tinnitus. When this subset of animals was treated with cyclobenzaprine, at a dose that had no significant effects on the startle response (0.5 mg/kg), GPIAS recovered partially or to near baseline levels at the affected frequencies. These results were consistent with the absence of tinnitus. By 48 h post-treatment, evidence of tinnitus re-emerged. Our results suggest that cyclobenzaprine was effective in transiently suppressing noise-induced tinnitus in rats.
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Milerová J, Anders M, Dvořák T, Sand PG, Königer S, Langguth B. The influence of psychological factors on tinnitus severity. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2013; 35:412-6. [PMID: 23602606 DOI: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2013.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2012] [Revised: 02/17/2013] [Accepted: 02/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Subjective tinnitus is a frequent symptom characterized by perception of sound in the absence of a corresponding external stimulus. Although many people learn to live with tinnitus, some find it severely debilitating. Why tinnitus is debilitating in some patients, but not in others, is still incompletely understood. We aimed to assess the influence of different aspects of psychological distress on perceived tinnitus severity. METHODS Three hundred seventeen patients diagnosed with chronic subjective tinnitus at two university clinics completed the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), the Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ) and the Symptom Check List-90-Revised. The influence of the different dimensions of psychological distress on perceived tinnitus severity was statistically evaluated. RESULTS Both THI and TQ scores were significantly influenced by gender, site and the dimension "depression". In addition, TQ scores were significantly influenced by age and "somatization," whereas "hostility" had an impact on THI scores only. CONCLUSION Psychological aspects as well as sociodemographic variables had a significant influence on both TQ scores. However, our results indicate, that these scales reflect emotional distress of tinnitus sufferers differently. This should be taken into consideration in the use of these scales as screening tools for assessment of tinnitus handicap.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Milerová
- Department of Psychiatry, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Ke Karlovu 11, Praha 2, 120 00, Czech Republic
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Langguth B, Elgoyhen AB. Current pharmacological treatments for tinnitus. Expert Opin Pharmacother 2012; 13:2495-509. [DOI: 10.1517/14656566.2012.739608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Adamchic I, Tass PA, Langguth B, Hauptmann C, Koller M, Schecklmann M, Zeman F, Landgrebe M. Linking the Tinnitus Questionnaire and the subjective Clinical Global Impression: which differences are clinically important? Health Qual Life Outcomes 2012; 10:79. [PMID: 22781703 PMCID: PMC3487915 DOI: 10.1186/1477-7525-10-79] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2012] [Accepted: 07/02/2012] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Development of new tinnitus treatments requires prospective placebo-controlled randomized trials to prove their efficacy. The Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ) is a validated and commonly used instrument for assessment of tinnitus severity and has been used in many clinical studies. Defining the Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) for TQ changes is an important step to a better interpretation of the clinical relevance of changes observed in clinical trials. In this study we aimed to estimate the minimum change of the TQ score that could be considered clinically relevant. METHODS 757 patients with chronic tinnitus were pooled from the TRI database and the RESET study. An anchor-based approach using the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale and distributional approaches were used to estimate MCID. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated to define optimal TQ change cutoffs discriminating between minimally changed and unchanged subjects. RESULTS The relationship between TQ change scores and CGI ratings of change was good (r = 0.52, p < 0.05). Mean change scores associated with minimally better and minimally worse CGI categories were -6.65 and +2.72 respectively. According to the ROC method MCID for improvement was -5 points and for deterioration +1 points. CONCLUSION Distribution and anchor-based methods yielded comparable results in identifying MCIDs. ΔTQ scores of -5 and +1 points were identified as the minimal clinically relevant change for improvement and worsening respectively. The asymmetry of the MCIDs for improvement and worsening may be related to expectation effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilya Adamchic
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine-Neuromodulation, Research Center Jülich, Leo-Brand-Straße, 52425, Jülich, Germany.
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Wallhäusser-Franke E, Schredl M, Delb W. Tinnitus and insomnia: is hyperarousal the common denominator? Sleep Med Rev 2012; 17:65-74. [PMID: 22750224 DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2012.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2012] [Revised: 04/12/2012] [Accepted: 04/13/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Tinnitus is an auditory sensation that is generated by aberrant activation within the auditory system. Sleep disturbances are a frequent problem in the tinnitus population. They are known to worsen the distress caused by the tinnitus which in turn worsens sleep quality. Beyond that, disturbed sleep is a risk factor for mental health problems and distressing tinnitus is often associated with enhanced depressivity, anxiety, and somatic symptom severity. Moreover there is evidence that therapies which alleviate tinnitus-related distress have a positive influence on sleep quality and help interrupt this vicious cycle. This suggests that distressing tinnitus and insomnia may both be promoted by similar physiological mechanisms. One candidate mechanism is hyperarousal caused by enhanced activation of the sympathetic nervous system. There is increasing evidence for hyperarousal in insomnia patients, and animal models of tinnitus and insomnia show conspicuous similarities in the activation pattern of limbic and autonomous brain regions. In this article we review the evidence for this hypothesis which may have implications for therapeutic intervention in tinnitus patients with comorbid insomnia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Wallhäusser-Franke
- Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Department of Phoniatrics and Audiology, Tridomus House C, Ludolf-Krehl-Str. 13-17, 68167 Mannheim, Germany.
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