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Updated: Jul 12, 2025

Modified Experimental Conditions for Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Mice and Assessment of Hearing Function and Outer Hair Cell Damage
Published on: February 10, 2023
Acoustic differences in tinnitus between noise-induced and non-noise-induced hearing loss
Hye Rim Jin1, Dokyoung Kim2, Hwa Sung Rim1
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Background:
Tinnitus, the perception of sound without external stimuli, varies across hearing loss types. The present study compared the acoustic characteristics of tinnitus in patients with noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and in those with hearing loss unrelated to noise exposure.
Objective:
This study compared the acoustic characteristics of tinnitus in patients with noise-induced and non-noise-induced hearing loss.
Methods:
A total of 403 patients with tinnitus were divided into those with noise-induced and non-noise-induced hearing loss. Patients were evaluated by pure tone audiometry (PTA), tinnitogram, transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE), distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE), and auditory brainstem evoked response (ABR) tests.
Results:
Patients with NIHL exhibited significantly higher hearing thresholds across all frequencies (125-8000 Hz) (p < .05) and reported significantly higher tinnitus intensity (p < .05). Otoacoustic emission tests showed that response rates were significantly lower (p < .05), and ABR tests found that latency periods were significantly more prolonged (p < .05), in patients with NIHL.
Conclusions:
Tinnitus differs acoustically between patients with NIHL and those with non-noise-induced hearing loss, with specific patterns of intensity and auditory responses. These findings emphasize the need for tailoring the management of tinnitus according to the underlying type of hearing loss.
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