Medical evaluation of tinnitus

It has been estimated that 15% of the population in the United States has tinnitus which lasts greater than 5 minutes. It has also been estimated that 155 million patients have previously sought care for this symptom. It is clear that the incidence of tinnitus increases with age and by 70 years of age at least 25 to 30% of patients experience tinnitus constantly. In addition, noise exposure and noise induced sensorineural hearing loss are most often seen in tinnitus patients. Furthermore, of interest to the physician, 94% of patients who have sought medical care have not been offered treatment for their tinnitus, rather they have been informed that nothing could be done for them, and they should "live with it".