title: Comparison of clinical characteristics in patients with bilateral and unilateral tinnitus.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  Discomfort from bilateral tinnitus was more frequent and severe than that from unilateral tinnitus. Also, patients with bilateral tinnitus were significantly older and tended to have a longer duration of tinnitus than those with unilateral tinnitus. Background and subjects: Although bilateral tinnitus differs from unilateral tinnitus, their treatment is identical. Clinical characteristics associated with tinnitus, including tinnitograms, were retrospectively examined in 105 patients with unilateral tinnitus and 102 with bilateral tinnitus evaluated in the center between January 2012 and January 2014. This study compared the two groups to assess the characteristics differentiating their treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age was significantly higher in patients with bilateral than unilateral tinnitus (p = 0.04), but gender distribution and duration of tinnitus were similar in the two groups. Both tinnitus handicap index (THI) and Beck depression index (BDI) values were significantly higher in patients with bilateral than unilateral tinnitus (p < 0.05 each). Rates of hyperacusis (p = 0.23), ear fullness (p = 0.16), and vertigo (p = 0.31) did not differ significantly between the two groups. Also, audiology test results, including tinnitograms, showed no significant differences.
authors: a 1 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University , Seoul, Korea.
authors: Chul Won
authors: CW
authors: Yang
authors: b 2 Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University , Seoul, Korea.
authors: Junyang
authors: J
authors: Jung
authors: a 1 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University , Seoul, Korea.
authors: Sang Hoon
authors: SH
authors: Kim
authors: a 1 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University , Seoul, Korea.
authors: Jae Yong
authors: JY
authors: Byun
authors: a 1 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University , Seoul, Korea.
authors: Moon Suh
authors: MS
authors: Park
authors: a 1 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University , Seoul, Korea.
authors: Seung Geun
authors: SG
authors: Yeo
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010470:Perceptual Masking / Q000502:physiology*; D010898:Pitch Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: BDI; THI; bilateral; chronic tinnitus; tinnitus; unilateral