Social psychological factors causes of acute exacerbation or re-decompensation of clinically significant chronic tinnitus / 临床耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze social-psychological causes of acute exacerbation or re-decompensation of chronic tinnitus and provide theoretical basis for controlling and preventing tinnitus exacerbation and re-decompensation.@*METHOD@#Systemic audiological tests and tinnitus handicap inventory were performed on 136 chronic tinnitus patients with acuteexacerbation or re-decompensation. For the patients with new hearing loss, a further investigation of living conditions and assessment of social support rating scale were utilized. The patients with relatively definite causes were treated accordingly.@*RESULT@#(1) There were 89 patients complained of new changes of hearing, all of whom could tell the definite time point of tinnitus exacerbation, and 5 of them felt the exacerbation of hearing loss meanwhile. (2) Forty-two patients encountered adverse events on life or working, and tinnitus exacerbation occurred within several weeks to 3 months afterwards. Most of these patients could not tell the definite time point of tinnitus exacerbation or re-decompensation. Five cases of tinnitus exacerbation didn't tell any adverse events on life or working, but showed mood disorders, and the anti-anxiety treatment was effective to them. (3) Forty-seven cases without new hearing loss scored significantly lower in SSRS than healthy adults.@*CONCLUSION@#Emerging hearing loss is the main cause of acute exacerbation of chronic tinnitus. To find it in time and give effective treatment can save newly presented hearing loss, cure or relieve tinnitus. Adverse events in life(or working) and short of social support is another important cause of acute exacerbation of chronic tinnitus or decompensation recurrence, which suggests that social-psychological factors besides of hearing loss should be concerned in diagnosis and treatment of tinnitus.