Journal article
Short- and long-term changes in auditory sensitivity and tinnitus distress between acute and chronic tinnitus: longitudinal observation in a community-based sample
Hearing research, Vol.463, 109299
07/2025
DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2025.109299
PMID: 40378541
Abstract
•In an unselected community sample, tinnitus reduces, in its loudness and distress, over time from its onset•Sensitivity to sound intensity does not differ between acute tinnitus and matched controls, or longitudinally over time following tinnitus onset•Hyperacusis symptoms are greater in acute and chronic tinnitus groups than matched controls, but do not change longitudinally over time following tinnitus onset
Chronic tinnitus is a common consequence of hearing loss, which commonly coexists with a degree of increased subjective sensitivity to sound intensity, and sometimes overt hyperacusis. Central gain is thought to be an underlying mechanism for hyperacusis, whilst its relationship with tinnitus is debated. The natural history of chronic tinnitus from its acute stages has been subject to very limited formal study, and only from within the sub-population attending specialist clinics.
We studied community-based samples of individuals with Acute Tinnitus (AT: <6 weeks from onset, N = 51), who were followed up longitudinally 6 months post-onset (N = 26), those with Chronic Tinnitus (CT: >6 months from onset, N = 51), and Non-Tinnitus controls (NT: N = 35) age/sex/hearing matched to the Acute Tinnitus group. We measured tinnitus symptoms with loudness matching, numerical rating scales (NRS), and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) questionnaires, and subjective auditory sensitivity with categorical loudness scaling (CLS) and the Hyperacusis Questionnaire (HQ) and Inventory of Hyperacusis Symptoms (IHS). Results revealed that measures of tinnitus (psychoacoustically matched loudness, THI, TFI) were maximal around the time of onset and reduced significantly over initial months, in line with previous reports of specialist clinic-based cohorts without high levels of initial distress, but with the additional novel demonstration of a reduction in psychoacoustically matched tinnitus loudness. Conversely, measures of auditory sensitivity (HQ, IHS, CLS slope at 1 kHz and at tinnitus frequency) did not change longitudinally or differ between AT and NT groups. We interpret these changes as indicating spontaneous habituation to the tinnitus over time, but also that subjective auditory sensitivity is not necessarily directly linked to tinnitus symptoms.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Short- and long-term changes in auditory sensitivity and tinnitus distress between acute and chronic tinnitus: longitudinal observation in a community-based sample
- Creators
- Abishek Umashankar - Newcastle UniversityPhillip Gander - University of IowaKai Alter - Newcastle UniversityWilliam Sedley - Newcastle University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Hearing research, Vol.463, 109299
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.heares.2025.109299
- PMID
- 40378541
- NLM abbreviation
- Hear Res
- ISSN
- 0378-5955
- eISSN
- 1878-5891
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V
- Grant note
- Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID)Tinnitus UKWellcome Trust
The current work is a part of the funded project "Unravelling the neurobiological basis of tinnitus by studying its initial onset and sub-sequent chronification" jointly funded by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and Tinnitus UK (formerly the British Tinnitus Association) , with additional contribution from the Wellcome Trust. We would like to extend our gratitude to the funders for their generous support in funding this research. We further would like to thank all our participants who took part in this study.
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 05/07/2025
- Date published
- 07/2025
- Academic Unit
- Radiology; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Neurosurgery; Otolaryngology; Health, Sport, and Human Physiology
- Record Identifier
- 9984822958002771
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