Audiological and psychological profiles of children with tinnitus

Children's Tinnitus Questionnaire - A novel tool for assessing the impact of tinnitus on a child's everyday life

OBJECTIVE

Self-report instruments are commonly used in tinnitus clinics, but they are presently available only for adults. There is a lack of a validated multi-item instrument to capture tinnitus-related problems in children and their impact on everyday life. This study has developed and validated a specifically child-centered questionnaire to assess the impact of tinnitus.

METHODS

Development of the tool consisted of several stages. Following a pilot study on 12 children with tinnitus, a validation study was done on a further 192 children with tinnitus aged between 11 and 14 years. The children had an audiological examination, completed a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the newly framed questionnaire.

RESULTS

The development and validation process resulted in the new 11-item Children's Tinnitus Questionnaire (CTQ). It includes items concerning the impact of tinnitus on functional, cognitive, emotional and social domains. The validity of the new tool has been established by finding significant correlations between it and VAS loudness (r = 0.42), VAS annoyance (r = 0.67), and VAS coping (r = -0.41). Validity has also been confirmed by measuring differences in CTQ scores and 4 groups of children having graded incidences of tinnitus. The internal consistency assessed with Cronbach's alpha was high (α = 0.82).

CONCLUSION

The Children's Tinnitus Questionnaire (CTQ) is the first fully validated multi-item instrument designed specifically for children. The tool has the potential to become a valuable new instrument for use in clinical practice and research; it might be useful for assessing the impact of tinnitus on those children who find that the condition creates problems in their everyday life.

Association of Tinnitus with Depression in a Normal Hearing Population

Background and Objectives: The relationship between depression in tinnitus patients without hearing loss remains elusive. This study aimed to investigate the association between tinnitus and normal hearing and depression. Materials and Methods: Participants aged ≥12 years with normal hearing levels were recruited from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), 2009-2012. Participants with normal hearing were divided into the tinnitus and non-tinnitus groups. The relationship between tinnitus with normal hearing and variables including age, sex, depression, ischemic heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, chronic renal disease, noise exposure, and depression were analyzed. The odds of depression for tinnitus with normal hearing were estimated using multiple logistic regression tests with complex sampling. Results: The results showed that 4.9% (107/2221) and 2.8% (290/10,316) of participants in the tinnitus group and the non-tinnitus group, respectively, experienced depression (p < 0.001). Sex, ischemic heart disease, dyslipidemia, noise exposure, and depression were positively related to tinnitus with normal hearing. The odds ratio of depression for tinnitus with normal hearing were 1.89 (95% CI 1.37-2.60, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tinnitus with normal hearing was related to the female sex, ischemic heart disease, dyslipidemia, noise exposure, and depression. Depression had the highest odds of tinnitus with normal hearing.

Prevalence of tinnitus in a sample of 43,064 children in Warsaw, Poland

OBJECTIVE

Tinnitus affects both adults and children. Children rarely complain spontaneously of tinnitus, and their parents are not aware of the condition. The prevalence of tinnitus in children differs considerably between studies, and large studies are needed to reliably estimate how many children experience tinnitus symptoms. The goal of the study was to estimate the prevalence of tinnitus in a large sample of schoolchildren.

DESIGN

This study was population-based, epidemiological research, conducted in the general, paediatric population of school-age children in Warsaw, Poland. Pure-tone audiometric testing was done, and hearing thresholds were determined from 0.5 to 8 kHz. Both the children and parents answered questions about the presence of tinnitus in the child.

STUDY SAMPLE

Results from 43,064 children aged 11 to 13 years old, as well as their parents, were collected.

RESULTS

The study showed that tinnitus affected 3.1% of the children, but it was significantly more frequent (9%) in children with hearing loss. We found that 1.4% of the parents were aware of the presence of tinnitus in their children.

CONCLUSIONS

Children should be routinely asked whether they experience tinnitus and if so, they should be included in the thorough assessment and management of the condition.

Personal Music Players Use and Other Noise Hazards among Children 11 to 12 Years Old

Exposure to loud music-due to widespread personal music players (PMPs) and noisy leisure activities-are major risk factors for noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) in adolescents. However, there is little evidence of the impact of noise on the hearing of younger children. This study aimed to explore an association between PMP use and hearing, and to identify other sources of noise among children. The study sample consisted of 1032 children aged 11-12 years old. Hearing thresholds were determined from 0.5 to 8 kHz. PMP use and other noise exposures were evaluated using a survey. We found that 82% of the children had a PMP, and 78% were exposed to noise when playing computer games. An audiometric notch was documented in 1.3% of the children. Only 11.5% of the children ever used hearing protection while engaged in noisy activities. We found no convincing evidence of an association between PMP use and hearing thresholds, although our results suggest that tinnitus may be an early sign of NIHL in young children. The study shows a need to provide children, their parents, and educators with knowledge of how to take care of hearing, including how to avoid and minimize noise exposure.