Chung Seok Hwan, Kim Sung Soo, Kim Sang Hoon, Yeo Seung Geun
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea.
Clin Pract. 2024 Jul 11;14(4):1383-1390. doi: 10.3390/clinpract14040111.
No studies to date have compared audiologic characteristics in patients with continuous and intermittent tinnitus. The present study classified tinnitus patients into continuous and intermittent groups based on tinnitus duration and compared their audiologic characteristics.
This study enrolled 604 patients with tinnitus from January 2019 to December 2022. Clinical manifestations, PTA results, the frequency and loudness of tinnitus, ABR, DPOAE, and TEOAE tests were compared in patients with continuous and intermittent tinnitus.
Of the 604 patients, 231 (38.2%) had continuous and 373 (61.8%) had intermittent tinnitus. There were no significant between-group differences in otologic symptoms, tinnitus onomatopoeia. PTA showed that hearing thresholds, except at 125 Hz, were significantly higher in patients with continuous rather than intermittent tinnitus. The loudness of tinnitus was significantly greater in patients with continuous rather than intermittent tinnitus. ABR tests showed that the absolute latency of wave V was significantly longer in continuous than in intermittent tinnitus. Signal-to-noise ratios on TEOAE tests were significantly lower in patients with continuous rather than intermittent tinnitus at all frequencies tested (1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 kHz). Response rates to sound stimuli at all frequencies, except for 1 kHz, were significantly lower on DPOAE tests in patients with continuous rather than intermittent tinnitus.
Continuous tinnitus is more common in males, more persistent over time, and is associated with a higher rate of hearing loss. In contrast, intermittent tinnitus is more common in women, appears acutely, and is associated with a relatively lower rate of hearing loss. Based on the findings of the current paper, it seems that audiologic characteristics may differ between patients with continuous and intermittent tinnitus.
迄今为止，尚无研究比较持续性耳鸣和间歇性耳鸣患者的听力学特征。本研究根据耳鸣持续时间将耳鸣患者分为持续性和间歇性两组，并比较了他们的听力学特征。
本研究纳入了2019年1月至2022年12月期间的604例耳鸣患者。比较了持续性耳鸣和间歇性耳鸣患者的临床表现、纯音听阈（PTA）结果、耳鸣的频率和响度、听性脑干反应（ABR）、畸变产物耳声发射（DPOAE）和瞬态诱发耳声发射（TEOAE）测试结果。
在604例患者中，231例（38.2%）患有持续性耳鸣，373例（61.8%）患有间歇性耳鸣。两组在耳部症状、耳鸣拟声词方面无显著差异。PTA显示，除125Hz外，持续性耳鸣患者的听力阈值显著高于间歇性耳鸣患者。持续性耳鸣患者的耳鸣响度显著大于间歇性耳鸣患者。ABR测试显示，持续性耳鸣患者V波的绝对潜伏期显著长于间歇性耳鸣患者。在所有测试频率（1、1.5、2、3和4kHz）下，持续性耳鸣患者的TEOAE测试信噪比显著低于间歇性耳鸣患者。在DPOAE测试中，除1kHz外，持续性耳鸣患者在所有频率下对声音刺激的反应率均显著低于间歇性耳鸣患者。
持续性耳鸣在男性中更为常见，随时间持续时间更长，且与更高的听力损失率相关。相比之下，间歇性耳鸣在女性中更为常见，急性出现，且与相对较低的听力损失率相关。根据本文的研究结果，持续性耳鸣和间歇性耳鸣患者的听力学特征可能存在差异。
