The annoyance of tinnitus and the noise required to mask it.
For 11 patients with tinnitus and sensorineural hearing loss, the intensity of bilateral broad-band noise required to mask the tinnitus increased by as much as 41 dB over a 30-minute period. A significant correlation was obtained between the rate of change in the noise over time and reported annoyance of the tinnitus as measured on a 5-point rating scale. The total change in the noise level and the initial noise level required to mask the tinnitus were not significantly correlated with the annoyance of the tinnitus.
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008144:Loudness Perception; D009622:Noise; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*