Association between hearing loss level and degree of discomfort introduced by tinnitus in workers exposed to noise.
Hearing loss and tinnitus impact the lives of workers in every instance of their lives.


OBJECTIVE
This paper aims to investigate the existence of a dose-response relationship between hearing loss and tinnitus by determining whether higher levels of hearing loss can be associated with increased tinnitus-related discomfort.


METHODS
This cross-sectional case study assessed 284 workers exposed to occupational noise through pure tone audiometry. Test results were categorized as defined by Merluzzi. Individuals complaining of tinnitus answered the adapted and validated Brazilian Portuguese version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. A generalized linear model was adjusted for binomial data to test the interaction between these factors.


RESULTS
Over 60% of the ears analyzed had hearing loss, while more than 46% of them had tinnitus. Tinnitus prevalence and risk rates increased as pure tone audiometry results got worse. The association between both, considering all hearing loss degrees, was statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
The results point to a statistical association between hearing loss and tinnitus; the greater the hearing loss, the greater the discomfort introduced by tinnitus.
Dias
Adriano
A
PhD, Technical Coordinatora.
Cordeiro
Ricardo
R
Associate Professor. Grupo de Apoio à Pesquisa/Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu/UNESP.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009623:Noise, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology