Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zurich, Culmannstrasse 8, CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zurich, Culmannstrasse 8, CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland.
Psychiatry Res. 2016 Mar 30;237:114-21. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.01.065. Epub 2016 Jan 28.
Tinnitus is sometimes associated with lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and depressive symptoms. However, only limited evidence exists identifying which tinnitus characteristics are responsible for these associations. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess associations between tinnitus, HRQoL, depressive symptoms, subjective tinnitus loudness and audiometrically assessed tinnitus characteristics (e.g., hearing threshold). Two hundred and eight outpatients reporting tinnitus completed questionnaires on tinnitus (Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, THI), HRQoL (World-Health-Organisation Quality of Life Short Form Survey, WHOQOL-BREF), and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI), and underwent audiometry. Patients with higher THI scores exhibited significantly lower HRQoL, and higher depression scores. THI total-score, THI subscales, and subjective tinnitus loudness explained significant variance of WHOQOL-BREF and BDI. Audiometrically measured features were not associated with WHOQOL-BREF or BDI. Overall, we confirmed findings that different features of tinnitus are associated with HRQoL and depressive symptoms but not with audiometrically assessed tinnitus characteristics. Consequently, physicians should evaluate THI total score, its sub-scores, and subjective tinnitus loudness to reliably and quickly identify patients who potentially suffer from depressive symptoms or significantly lower HRQoL. Supporting these patients early might help to prevent the development of reactive depressive symptoms and impairment of HRQoL.
耳鸣有时与较低的健康相关生活质量（HRQoL）和抑郁症状有关。然而，只有有限的证据表明哪些耳鸣特征与这些关联有关。本横断面研究的目的是评估耳鸣、HRQoL、抑郁症状、主观耳鸣响度和听力学评估的耳鸣特征（例如，听力阈值）之间的关联。208 名报告耳鸣的门诊患者完成了关于耳鸣的问卷（耳鸣残疾量表，THI）、HRQoL（世界卫生组织生活质量简表调查，WHOQOL-BREF）和抑郁症状（贝克抑郁量表，BDI），并进行了听力测试。THI 得分较高的患者表现出明显较低的 HRQoL 和更高的抑郁得分。THI 总分、THI 子量表和主观耳鸣响度解释了 WHOQOL-BREF 和 BDI 的显著差异。听力学测量的特征与 WHOQOL-BREF 或 BDI 无关。总的来说，我们证实了不同的耳鸣特征与 HRQoL 和抑郁症状有关，但与听力学评估的耳鸣特征无关。因此，医生应该评估 THI 总分、其子量表和主观耳鸣响度，以可靠和快速地识别可能患有抑郁症状或 HRQoL 显著降低的患者。早期为这些患者提供支持可能有助于预防反应性抑郁症状和 HRQoL 受损。
