Relationships among speech perception, self-rated tinnitus loudness and disability in tinnitus patients with normal pure-tone thresholds of hearing.
Exactly how speech perception and tinnitus perception are related remains unclear. This study investigated how tinnitus alone affects speech perception and the relationship between speech perception, tinnitus loudness, and tinnitus disability. The Mandarin Speech Perception in Noise Test (MSPIN), Tinnitus Loudness Scaling (TLS), and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) were utilized to assess 20 tinnitus patients with normal hearing. The tinnitus group had a significantly lower MSPIN score than the control group (p < 0.01). TLS and THI scores were strongly correlated (r(2): 0.534 approximately 0.627, p < 0.05). Correlations between MSPIN and TLS or THI scores were not significant. Tinnitus loudness correlated well with tinnitus-related disability. Neither tinnitus loudness nor disability was strongly correlated with speech perception. In noisy environments, tinnitus sufferers had significantly poorer ability to recognize speech than control subjects.
Huang
Chii-Yuan
CY
Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC.
Lee
Heng-Huei
HH
Chung
Kao-Chi
KC
Chen
Hsiao-Chuan
HC
Shen
Yung-Ji
YJ
Wu
Jiunn-Liang
JL
D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing; D006801:Humans; D008144:Loudness Perception; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013067:Speech Perception; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000503:physiopathology*