Author(s)
Laura K. House, MD
Charles E. Bishop, AuD PhD
John M. Schweinfurth, MD
Christopher S. Spankovich, AuD PhD
Affiliation(s)
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Abstract:
Educational Objective: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participants should be able to discuss tinnitus prevalence, characteristics and relationship with cardiometabolic risk in an African American cohort. Objectives: To describe the prevalence and characteristics of tinnitus in an African American cohort, with assessment of the relationship between reported tinnitus and cardiometabolic risk. Study Design: Prospective cohort study. Methods: The hearing, reported tinnitus, and tinnitus handicap were assessed in a sample of 1322 participants of a larger cardiovascular study cohort who also had measured cardiometabolic variables on file. Tinnitus was assessed dichotomously (YES/NO) and with the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), which yields a score that can be compared to established norms. The prevalence of tinnitus in our study group was compared to the NHANES prevalence data for African Americans, and the statistical relationship of reported tinnitus to various cardiometabolic risks is described. Results: Tinnitus was found to be less prevalent in our study sample in comparison to that observed in the NHANES database, which may be due to the lower rate of reported noise exposure of our participants. Tinnitus was found to be age, sex, and noise exposure dependent and, predictably, strongly correlated with hearing level, though less than expected. Tinnitus was found to be predictive of several obesity related cardiometabolic risks, depending on the level of covariate adjustments. Conclusions: Tinnitus is less prevalent in our study sample than in the general African American population and was found to be related to cardiometabolic risk depending on the level of covariate adjustment in statistical models.