Treatment results of 225 patients with chronic tinnitus in a general hospital

For the treatment of chronic tinnitus, sound therapy is performed for the auditory pathway, the source of tinnitus occurs, and educational counseling is performed for the pain network, which worsens it. At our department, we clarify the condition of each patient through detailed interviews, examinations, and hearing tests, and examine the disability and psychological distress caused by tinnitus and hearing loss in detail. We use the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory（THI）to evaluate impact of tinnitus on the quality of life of the patients. All patients receive educational counseling. Some cases receive tinnitus retraining therapy（TRT）combined with appropriate sound therapy with hearing aids or environmental sounds. If they complain of insomnia or anxiety, we prescribe psychotropic drugs or request a psychiatry consultation. The aim of this study was to report the effects of treatment for tinnitus at our department. A total of 225 patients with chronic tinnitus with THI scores at the first consultation of 18 or higher were included in this study. Of the 225 patients, 114 did not desire additional treatment or follow―up consultation, and these patients tended to have low THI scores. Conversely, the THI scores in the 38 patients who had been prescribed psychotropic drugs tended to be high. Of the 111 patients who were evaluated more than once, the THI scores improved in 85（77%）patients. Among these, THI scores improved in 35（88%）of the 40 patients with hearing loss who had received sound therapy with hearing aids, and THI scores improved in 31（84%）of the 37 patients without hearing loss who had received sound therapy with environmental sounds. However, THI scores improved in only 19（56%）of the 34 patients with hearing loss who had received sound therapy with environmental sounds. These findings suggest that the beneficial effect of sound therapy with environmental sounds was limited to patients with hearing loss. If more patients with hearing loss and tinnitus choose treatment with hearing aids, we believe that it would be beneficial to patients in terms of improvement of their quality of life.