Pitch and Loudness Tinnitus in Individuals with Presbycusis

This study aims to analyze the existence of association among hearing thresholds, pitch, and loudness of tinnitus in individuals with presbycusis, considering the gender variable.

Methods

Cross-sectional, descriptive, and prospective study, whose sample consisted of individuals with tinnitus and diagnosis of presbycusis. For the evaluation, we performed anamnesis along with otoscopy, pure tone audiometry, and acuphenometry to analyze the psychoacoustic characteristics of tinnitus individuals.

Results

The sample consisted of 49 subjects, with a mean age of 69.57 6.53 years, who presented unilateral and bilateral tinnitus, therefore, a sample of 80 ears. In analyzing the results, as for acuphenometry, the loudness of tinnitus was more present at 0dB and the pitch was 6HKz and 8HKz. Regarding the analysis of the association between the frequency of greater hearing threshold and tinnitus pitch, no statistical significance (p= 0.862) was found. As for the association between the intensity of greater hearing threshold and tinnitus loudness, no statistical significance (p= 0.115) was found.

Conclusion

There is no significant association between the hearing loss of patients with presbycusis and the pitch and loudness of tinnitus.

Keywords:
presbycusis; tinnitus; aging

Intensity of greater hearing threshold (dB HL)	N	%
30 \| - \| 35	7	8.8
40 \| - \| 45	10	12.6
50 \| - \| 55	17	21.3
60 \| - \| 65	20	25.1
70 \| - \| 75	14	17.5
80 \| - \| 85	6	7.5
90 \| - \| 95	4	5.1
110	2	2.5
Total	80	100.0

Acuphenometry - Loudness (dBSL)	N	%
0 \| - \| 4	19	23.7
5 \| - \| 9	17	21.3
10 \| - \| 14	12	15.1
15 \| - \| 19	16	20.0
20 \| - \| 24	7	8.8
25 \| - \| 30	6	7.6
< 30	3	3.8
Total	80	100.0

Variables	Gender	N	Average	Standard deviation	p-value
Often the higher threshold	F	48	6791.7	1878.9	0.889
	M	32	6851.6	1856.6
Higher threshold intensity	F	48	58.5	17.2	0.140
	M	32	64.4	17.1
Pitch (acuphenometry)	F	48	3869.8	2597.0	0.144
	M	32	4781.3	2867.2
Loudness (acuphenometry)	F	48	12.3	10.7	0.139
	M	32	9.1	7.2

	Acuphenometry
Gender	Loudness (dB HL)							p-value	Frequency Range
Gender	0 \|-\| 4	5 \|-\| 9	10 \|-\| 14	15 \|-\| 19	20 \|-\| 24	25 \|-\| 30	< 30	p-value	Serious	Medium	Acute	p-value
F (n = 48)	11	8	8	9	4	4	4	0.603	8	14	26	0.555
M (n = 32)	8	9	4	7	3	1	0		3	8	21
Total	19	17	12	16	7	5	4		11	22	47

	Greater frequency hearing threshold		Pitch in Acuphenometry
Frequency	N	%	N	%
250	1	1.3	3	3.8
500	–	–	8	10.0
1000	1	1.3	7	8.8
2000	1	1.3	10	12.5
3000	4	5.0	5	6.3
4000	4	5.0	12	15.0
6000	19	23.8	18	22.5
8000	50	62.5	17	21.3
Total	80	100.0	80	100.0

Frequency range of greater hearing threshold	Acuphenometry - Frequency Range
Frequency range of greater hearing threshold	Serious	Average	Acute	Total	p-value*
Serious	–	–	1	1	0.081
Average	1	4	1	6
Acute	10	18	45	73
Total	11	22	47	80

Greater threshold intensity	Acuphenometry - Loudness (dB HL)							Total
Greater threshold intensity	0 \|-\| 4	5 \|-\| 9	10 \|-\| 14	15 \|-\| 19	20 \|-\| 24	25 \|-\| 30	< 30	Total	p-value
26 \|-\| 40	1	3	−	5	2	1	−	12	0.115
41 \|-\| 70	14	9	12	6	5	3	3	52
71 \|-\| 90	3	5	−	3	−	1	1	13
< 90	1	−	−	2	−	−	−	3
Total	19	17	12	16	7	5	4	80

Fundação Otorrinolaringologia R. Teodoro Sampaio, 483, 05405-000 São Paulo/SP Brasil, Tel.: (55 11) 3068-9855, Fax: (55 11) 3079-6769 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: iaorl@iaorl.org

Acompanhe os números deste periódico no seu leitor de RSS

[1] Address for correspondence Bruna Macangnin Seimetz, Program in Child and Adolescent Health, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Ramiro Barcelos, 2400 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 90035-003 , Brazil (e-mail: bruna.seimetz@gmail.com).