Lifetime leisure music exposure associated with increased frequency of tinnitus.
Tinnitus has been linked to noise exposure, a common form of which is listening to music as a leisure activity. The relationship between tinnitus and type and duration of music exposure is not well understood. We conducted an internet-based population study that asked participants questions about lifetime music exposure and hearing, and included a hearing test involving speech intelligibility in noise, the High Frequency Digit Triplets Test. 4950 people aged 17-75 years completed all questions and the hearing test. Results were analyzed using multinomial regression models. High exposure to leisure music, hearing difficulty, increasing age and workplace noise exposure were independently associated with increased tinnitus. Three forms of music exposure (pubs/clubs, concerts, personal music players) did not differ in their relationship to tinnitus. More males than females reported tinnitus. The objective measure of speech reception threshold had only a minimal relationship with tinnitus. Self-reported hearing difficulty was more strongly associated with tinnitus, but 76% of people reporting usual or constant tinnitus also reported little or no hearing difficulty. Overall, around 40% of participants of all ages reported never experiencing tinnitus, while 29% reported sometimes, usually or constantly experiencing tinnitus that lasted more than 5 min. Together, the results suggest that tinnitus is much more common than hearing loss, but that there is little association between the two, especially among the younger adults disproportionately sampled in this study.
MRC Institute of Hearing Research, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK; Communication Sciences Research Center, Cincinnati Children Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA. Electronic address: david.moore2@cchmc.org.
David R
DR
Moore
MRC Institute of Hearing Research, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. Electronic address: oliver@ihr.mrc.ac.uk.
Oliver
O
Zobay
School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK. Electronic address: rob@cantab.net.
Robert C
RC
Mackinnon
MRC/CSO Institute of Hearing Research - Scottish Section, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, G31 2ER, UK. Electronic address: bill.whitmer@ihr.gla.ac.uk.
William M
WM
Whitmer
MRC Institute of Hearing Research, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK; School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK; MRC/CSO Institute of Hearing Research - Scottish Section, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, G31 2ER, UK. Electronic address: Michael.Akeroyd@ihr.mrc.ac.uk.
Michael A
MA
Akeroyd
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009146:Music; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D013067:Speech Perception; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
Hearing aids; Hearing difficulty; Internet; Personal music players; Speech-in-noise