title: Tinnitus and Headache.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tinnitus and headache are frequent disorders. Here, we aimed to investigate whether the occurrence of headache among tinnitus patients is purely coincidental or whether tinnitus and headache are pathophysiologically linked. We investigated a large sample of patients with tinnitus and headache to estimate prevalence rates of different headache forms, to determine the relationship between tinnitus laterality and headache laterality, and to explore the relationship between tinnitus and headache over time.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients who presented at a tertiary referral center because of tinnitus and reported comorbid headache were asked to complete validated questionnaires to determine the prevalence of migraine and tension-type headache and to assess tinnitus severity. In addition, several questions about the relationship between headache and tinnitus were asked.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Datasets of 193 patients with tinnitus and headache were analysed. 44.6% suffered from migraine, 13% from tension-type headache, and 5.7% from both. Headache laterality was significantly related to tinnitus laterality and in the majority of patients fluctuations in symptom severity of tinnitus and headache were interrelated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest a significant relationship between tinnitus and headache laterality and symptom interaction over time and argue against a purely coincidental cooccurrence of tinnitus and headache. Both disorders may be linked by common pathophysiological mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93049 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Berthold
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Langguth
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93049 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hund
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93049 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Busch
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Tim P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Jürgens
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Catholic University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Jose-Miguel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lainez
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93049 Regensburg, Germany ; Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Kbo-Lech-Mangfall-Klinik Agatharied, 83734 Hausham, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Landgrebe
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93049 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schecklmann
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018781:Tension-Type Headache / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*