title: Three years later: report on the state of well-being of patients with chronic tinnitus who underwent modified tinnitus retraining therapy.
abstract: Successful management of patients with chronic tinnitus is an important health issue. One of the tinnitus management strategies used at our Tinnitus Center is a combination of tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) with physiotherapy and psychological management [called modified TRT (MTRT)]. We have used this type of management for over a decade and have described the protocol in detail elsewhere. In the present study, we wanted to determine the effect of MTRT on the well-being of tinnitus patients 3 years after treatment onset. One hundred and thirty patients with chronic tinnitus were assessed using psychometric instruments immediately before 7-day MTRT, immediately after the therapy and 3 years later. Patients with very severe tinnitus-related distress associated with major depression and a risk of suicide were excluded from this study. MTRT resulted in a sustained reduction of tinnitus-related distress. Moreover, the quality of life of patients had increased, as assessed by a separate questionnaire. The effect of MTRT was influenced by the degree of tinnitus-related distress and by the patients' age, the latter being gender dependent. Hearing loss and tinnitus duration had only a minor influence on the therapeutic effect. Taken together, we report a positive change in the state of well-being of patients with chronic tinnitus measurable with various psychometric instruments 3 years after the onset of MTRT.
authors.affiliation: Tinnitus Center, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Seydel
authors.forename: Heidemarie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haupt
authors.forename: Agnieszka J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Szczepek
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mazurek
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult