Risk factors of decompensated tinnitus and the interaction effect of anxiety and poor sleep on decompensated tinnitus: a multicenter study

Acta Otolaryngol. 2021 Dec;141(12):1049-1054. doi: 10.1080/00016489.2021.1922754. Epub 2021 Nov 13.

Abstract

Background: Decompensated tinnitus substantially degrades quality of life. Anxiety and poor sleep are comorbidities in decompensated tinnitus.

Objective: This multicenter study was designed to investigate the risk factors of decompensated tinnitus and to analyze the interaction effect of anxiety and poor sleep on decompensated tinnitus by conducting a multicenter study.

Material and methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with subjective chronic tinnitus who presented to five Chinese hospitals in China from September 2019 to November 2020. Demographic characteristics, pure tone audiometry, tinnitus-related tests, psychometric and sleep questionnaires were applied.

Results: A total of 338 patients were included, and 99 (29.3%) patients were in the decompensated group. Poor sleep and anxiety were possible risk factors of decompensated tinnitus by a forced-entry binary logistic analysis. Sleep disturbances and anxiety had an additive interaction that accounted for 87% of the decompensated tinnitus cases in our study population (RERI = 10.96, S = 18.22, AP = 0.87).

Conclusions and significance: Anxiety and sleep disturbances are possible risk factors of decompensated tinnitus. The combination of poor sleep and anxiety exerts a greater impact on tinnitus severity than either risk factor alone.

Keywords: Decompensated tinnitus; anxiety; interaction effect; risk factor; sleep.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Anxiety / complications*
  • Auditory Threshold
  • Comorbidity
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Logistic Models
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Acuity
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Sleep Wake Disorders / complications*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Tinnitus / complications
  • Tinnitus / psychology*