Tinnitus Prevalence, Associated Characteristics, and Treatment Patterns among Adults in Saudi Arabia
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Design of Questionnaire
2.2. The Pilot Questionnaire
2.3. The Main Questionnaire
2.4. Participants
2.5. Data Collection and Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Prevalence of Tinnitus and Associated Factors
3.2. Experience of Tinnitus
3.3. Impact of Tinnitus
3.4. Management of Tinnitus
3.5. Association between the Impact of Tinnitus and Other Variables
4. Discussion
4.1. Prevalence of Tinnitus and Associated Factors
4.2. Experience of Tinnitus
4.3. Impact of Tinnitus
4.4. Management of Tinnitus
5. Study Limitations and Future Research
6. Conclusions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A. Questionnaire
- A.
- Demographics and associated factors
- 1.
- What is your gender?
- ○
- Male
- ○
- Female
- 2.
- What is your age (years)?
- ○
- 18–30
- ○
- 31–40
- ○
- 41–50
- ○
- 51–60
- ○
- 61–70
- ○
- 71–80
- ○
- 81–90
- ○
- >90
- 3.
- What is your nationality?
- ○
- Saudi
- ○
- Non-Saudi
- 4.
- Do you have hearing loss based on a hearing test conducted by an audiologist?
- ○
- Yes
- ○
- No
- 5.
- Do you wear a hearing aid/s?
- ○
- Yes
- ○
- No
- 6.
- Does your reaction to any sound (sound tolerance) similar to people around you?
- ○
- Yes
- ○
- No (please specify)
- B.
- Experience of Tinnitus
- 7.
- Do you know the cause of your tinnitus?
- ○
- Yes (please specify)
- ○
- No
- 8.
- How long have you had tinnitus (years)?
- ○
- <1
- ○
- 1–2
- ○
- 3–5
- ○
- 6–8
- ○
- 9–10
- ○
- >10
- 9.
- What is the first onset of your tinnitus?
- ○
- Sudden
- ○
- Gradual
- 10.
- How do you describe the duration of your tinnitus?
- ○
- Constant
- ○
- Intermittent
- 11.
- What is the number of times you perceive tinnitus?
- ○
- Daily
- ○
- Weekly
- ○
- Monthly
- ○
- Sometimes
- ○
- Other (please specify)
- 12.
- What is the sound of your tinnitus? (Choose all applicable)
- ○
- Pulsing
- ○
- Ringing
- ○
- Whooshing
- ○
- Whistling
- ○
- Buzzing
- ○
- Clicking
- ○
- Other (please specify)
- 13.
- Where do perceive your tinnitus? (Choose all applicable)
- ○
- Right Ear
- ○
- Left Ear
- ○
- Both Ears
- ○
- Head
- 14.
- What is the severity of your tinnitus? (Choose from 1 to 10, [10 is very severe])
- ○
- 1
- ○
- 2
- ○
- 3
- ○
- 4
- ○
- 5
- ○
- 6
- ○
- 7
- ○
- 8
- ○
- 9
- ○
- 10
- C.
- Impact of Tinnitus
- 15.
- What is the impact of tinnitus on your quality of life? (Choose from 1 to 10, [10 is very severe])
- ○
- 1
- ○
- 2
- ○
- 3
- ○
- 4
- ○
- 5
- ○
- 6
- ○
- 7
- ○
- 8
- ○
- 9
- ○
- 10
- 16.
- Are you afraid that your tinnitus gets worse?
- ○
- Yes
- ○
- No
- 17.
- Does your tinnitus make you feel depressed or anxious?
- ○
- Yes
- ○
- No
- 18.
- What activities are affected by your tinnitus? (Choose all applicable)
- ○
- Concentration
- ○
- Work
- ○
- Sleep
- ○
- Social
- ○
- Sports
- ○
- Quiet settings
- ○
- Other (please specify)
- D.
- Management of Tinnitus
- 19.
- What management/treatment services and/or devices have you tried to manage your tinnitus? (Choose all applicable)
- ○
- Hearing aids
- ○
- Sound therapy
- ○
- Medical Counseling
- ○
- Medications
- ○
- Relaxation
- ○
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- ○
- Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
- ○
- Other (please specify)
- ○
- Nothing
- 20.
- Are you satisfied with the method you have been using to relieve your tinnitus?
- ○
- Yes
- ○
- No
- ○
- Not applicable
- 21.
- Would you like to receive more information about tinnitus?
- ○
- Yes
- ○
- No
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Variable | Total (n = 320) | ||
---|---|---|---|
n (%) | |||
Gender | |||
Male | 172 (53.8) | ||
Female | 148 (46.2) | ||
Age (years) | Male | Female | Total |
18–30 | 13 (7.5) | 14 (9.5) | 27 (8.4) |
31–40 | 12 (7.0) | 11 (7.4) | 23 (7.2) |
41–50 | 23 (13.4) | 14 (9.5) | 37 (11.6) |
51–60 | 39 (22.7) | 34 (23.0) | 73 (22.8) |
61–70 | 50 (29.1) | 43 (29.0) | 93 (29.1) |
71–80 | 31 (18.0) | 29 (19.6) | 60 (18.7) |
81–90 | 4 (2.3) | 3 (2.0) | 7 (2.2) |
>90 | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |
Nationality | |||
Saudi | 316 (98.8) | ||
Non-Saudi | 4 (1.2) | ||
Hearing loss | |||
Yes | 223 (69.7) | ||
No | 97 (30.3) | ||
Hearing aid/s usage | |||
Yes | 61 (19.1) | ||
No | 259 (80.9) | ||
Sound tolerance | |||
Normal | 171 (53.4) | ||
Abnormal (Hyperacusis) | 149 (46.6) |
Experience of Tinnitus | Total (n = 320) |
---|---|
n (%) | |
Cause | |
Unaware | 205 (64) |
Aware | 116 (36) |
Probable causes | |
| |
Period of complaints (years) | |
<1 | 42 (13.1) |
1–2 | 76 (23.8) |
3–5 | 58 (18.1) |
6–8 | 22 (6.9) |
9–10 | 33 (10.3) |
>10 | 89 (27.8) |
Onset | |
Gradual | 169 (52.8) |
Sudden | 151 (47.2) |
Duration | |
Continuous | 217 (67.8) |
Intermittent | 103 (32.2) |
Perception time | |
Daily | 227 (70.9) |
Weekly | 37 (11.6) |
Monthly | 6 (1.9) |
Sometimes | 50 (15.6) |
Type * | |
Whistling | 139 (43.4) |
Ringing | 127 (39.7) |
Whooshing | 87 (27.2) |
Pulsing | 26 (8.1) |
Buzzing | 9 (2.8) |
Clicking | 3 (0.9) |
Location * | |
Both ears | 166 (51.9) |
Left ear | 74 (23.1) |
Right ear | 60 (18.8) |
Head | 46 (14.4) |
Variables | Impact of Tinnitus on the QoL (n = 320) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mild Impact * n (%) | Moderate Impact * n (%) | Severe Impact * n (%) | p-Value + (Chi-Square Test) | |
Gender | ||||
Male | 60 (67.4) | 64 (52) | 48 (44.4) | 0.005 |
Female | 29 (32.6) | 59 (48) | 60 (55.6) | |
Age (years) | ||||
18–30 | 27 (22.0) | 0 | 0 | 0.001 |
31–40 | 23 (18.7) | 0 | 0 | |
41–50 | 36 (29.3) | 0 | 0 | |
51–60 | 37 (30.0) | 36 (40.4) | 0 | |
61–70 | 0 | 53 (59.6) | 41 (38.0) | |
>70 | 0 | 0 | 67 (62.0) | |
Period of complaints (years) | ||||
<1 | 42 (34.2) | 0 | 0 | 0.001 |
1–2 | 0 | 28 (31.5) | 48 (44.4) | |
3–5 | 41 (33.3) | 0 | 17 (15.8) | |
6–8 | 22 (17.9) | 0 | 0 | |
9–10 | 1 (0.8) | 32 (35.9) | 0 | |
>10 | 17 (13.8) | 29 (32.6) | 43 (39.8) | |
Severity of tinnitus signals | ||||
Mild | 73 (59.3) | 0 | 0 | 0.001 |
Moderate | 50 (40.7) | 81 (91.0) | 3 (2.8) | |
Severe | 0 | 8 (9.0) | 105 (97.2) | |
Hearing loss | ||||
Yes | 123 (100) | 40 (44.9) | 60 (55.6) | 0.001 |
No | 0 | 49 (55.1) | 48 (44.4) | |
Hyperacusis | ||||
Yes | 57 (35) | 29 (42) | 63 (71.6) | 0.001 |
No | 106 (65) | 40 (58) | 25 (28.4) |
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Share and Cite
Alanazi, A.A. Tinnitus Prevalence, Associated Characteristics, and Treatment Patterns among Adults in Saudi Arabia. Audiol. Res. 2024, 14, 760-777. https://doi.org/10.3390/audiolres14050064
Alanazi AA. Tinnitus Prevalence, Associated Characteristics, and Treatment Patterns among Adults in Saudi Arabia. Audiology Research. 2024; 14(5):760-777. https://doi.org/10.3390/audiolres14050064
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlanazi, Ahmad A. 2024. "Tinnitus Prevalence, Associated Characteristics, and Treatment Patterns among Adults in Saudi Arabia" Audiology Research 14, no. 5: 760-777. https://doi.org/10.3390/audiolres14050064