Analysis of the Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Tinnitus in Adults

TLDR

Tinnitus is a common adult condition whose pathophysiology remains unclear and has not been examined in large population studies. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of tinnitus and identify its associated risk factors in a national sample. Using a cross‑sectional design, the authors analyzed data from 19,290 Korean adults (aged 20–98) collected in the 2009–2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, assessing tinnitus prevalence via questionnaire and evaluating risk factors with weighted logistic regression. Tinnitus prevalence was 20.7%, with higher rates in older adults and significant associations with female sex, smoking, short sleep, stress, small households, various chronic diseases, hearing loss, noise exposure, unemployment, and military service, indicating that tinnitus is common and linked to multiple demographic and health factors.

Abstract

Background Tinnitus is a common condition in adults; however, the pathophysiology of tinnitus remains unclear, and no large population-based study has assessed the associated risk factors. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence and associated risk factors of tinnitus. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, with 19,290 participants ranging in age from 20 to 98 years old, between 2009 and 2012. We investigated the prevalence of tinnitus using a questionnaire and analyzed various possible factors associated with tinnitus using simple and multiple logistic regression analysis with complex sampling. Results The prevalence of tinnitus was 20.7%, and the rates of tinnitus associated with no discomfort, moderate annoyance, and severe annoyance were 69.2%, 27.9%, and 3.0%, respectively. The prevalence of tinnitus and the rates of annoying tinnitus increased with age. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of tinnitus was higher for females, those with a smoking history, those reporting less sleep (≤ 6 h), those with more stress, those in smaller households, those with a history of hyperlipidemia osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, depression, thyroid disease, an abnormal tympanic membrane, unilateral hearing loss, bilateral hearing loss, noise exposure from earphones, noise exposure at the workplace, noise exposure outside the workplace, and brief noise exposure. Additionally, unemployed individuals and soldiers had higher AORs for tinnitus. The AOR of annoying tinnitus increased with age, stress, history of hyperlipidemia, unilateral hearing loss, and bilateral hearing loss. Conclusions Tinnitus is very common in the general population and is associated with gender, smoking, stress, sleep, hearing loss, hyperlipidemia, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, depression, and thyroid disease history.