[Long-term Development of Acute Tinnitus]

Aim was to assess correlations between hearing threshold and mental health measures at tinnitus onset and tinnitus severity after 6 months. Short self-report questionnaires were used to permit later use in ENT-practices.

28 patients with tinnitus of no longer than 4 weeks filled out questionnaires at inclusion (T1), and at 6 weeks (T2), 3 (T3) and 6 months (T4) after tinnitus onset. An audiogram was recorded at T1. Tinnitus loudness and sound sensitivity were assessed by numeric rating scales, tinnitus-distress was recorded with the short form of the tinnitus questionnaire. Mental health and personality factors were measured by the depressivity, anxiety and somatic severity scales of the Patient Health Questionnaire, and the resilience scale.

Tinnitus loudness and distress were stable throughout the investigation period whereas sound sensitivity decreased. Resilience did not represent a predictor for tinnitus severity after 6 months. Depressivity and hearing loss at T1 had an effect on later tinnitus loudness, while depressivity and age at T1 showed an effect on sound sensitivity and tinnitus-related distress at T4.

Stability of tinnitus severity during the 6 months after onset supports the hypothesis of early manifestation. RESULTS also support the hypothesis that later tinnitus severity is related to psychological distress and hearing impairment at onset. RESULTS suggest to use hearing aids to alleviate tinnitus loudness, and to include tools for the identification of depressive disorders at an early stage to identify patients that might benefit from psychotherapeutic interventions.