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Published on: August 24, 2017
Long-lasting total remission of tinnitus: A systematic collection of cases
Tanit Ganz Sanchez1, Caroline C A Valim2, Winfried Schlee3
1Department of Otolaryngology, University of São Paulo School of Medicine, São Paulo, Brazil; Instituto Ganz Sanchez, São Paulo, Brazil.
Background:
Clinical observation suggests that total remission of tinnitus may exist, but a systematic analysis of these cases is missing. We aimed to identify subjects with long lasting total remission of tinnitus.
Methods:
By publishing announcements, we included volunteers of any gender and age who have had daily perception of tinnitus for over 3 months and have been in total remission (lack of tinnitus perception, even in silence and with deliberate attention to it) for over 6 months. We excluded individuals in a state of habituation or masking. We applied a structured interview to standardize information about tinnitus and its remission. Follow-up interviews took place after 6, 12, and 18 months.
Results:
Eighty individuals (56 females; age=54.2±16.8 years) were included. History of bilateral tinnitus accounted for 51.4% of cases. Total remission occurred in subjects whose tinnitus lasted for 49.0±73.5 months. Remission occurred gradually in 78.6% of cases and suddenly in 22%. During the further 18-month follow-up, 7.9% reported recurrence of tinnitus and 92.1% remained symptom free.
Conclusion:
Different than the knowledge obtained from clinical trials, this study showed that long-lasting total remission of tinnitus may occur. This status was reached by individuals of any gender and age range, with any location and duration of tinnitus, mostly as a gradual process. Future studies should better clarify how each treatment modality may achieve the best results.
