Tinnitus common among elderly: Study

Washington, Oct 08 (ANI): A new research has revealed that Tinnitus is common among elderly Nigerians and associated with treatable health conditions like otitis media, rhinosinusitis, head injury and hypertension.

Nearly 36 million Americans, however, suffer from tinnitus or head noises.

It may be an intermittent sound or an annoying continuous sound in one or both ears. In Nigeria, tinnitus affects between 10.1 pc and 33 pc of the population, with about 3 to 4 pc consulting a doctor on at least one occasion in their lifetime. Its effect makes it a significant contributor to morbidity in the elderly.

The study included face-to-face interviews of 1,302 elderly people aged 65 years and over; age, sex, economic status or residence were not associated with the occurrence of tinnitus.

The researchers found a significant difference between the prevalence of tinnitus among "young elderly" subjects aged 65-69 (6.5 pc), and the older (80+ years) group (41.9 pc). Also in this study, a non-significant trend was observed for the prevalence of tinnitus to increase with decreasing socioeconomic and educational level.

"Our results are of potential value in the overall consideration of the health consequence of aging in this setting, especially given the projections of a rapid increase in the proportion of the elderly in developing countries," said study author Akeem Olawale Lasisi, MBChB, FWACS, FMCORL.

The study has been published in the October 2010 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. (ANI)