Self-reported tinnitus in pediatric age group: our experiences at a tertiary care teaching hospital in eastern India

Abstract

Background: Many children do not complain of tinnitus spontaneously. Tinnitus in the pediatric age group is an overlooked symptom. It has not received much attention in the pediatric age group than adult age. Children rarely complain spontaneously of tinnitus but present it when questioned. Objective of the study was to assess tinnitus in the pediatric age group with or without hearing impairment and its severity.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study on the children in the age group of 5 to 18 years who attended our tertiary care teaching hospital for evaluation of hearing impairment. The characteristics and severity of the self-reported tinnitus were collected by asking a questionnaire. The hearing assessment was done by performing pure tone audiometry. The frequencies of 250,500,1000,4000, and 8000 Hz were used in pure tone audiometry during the evaluation of hearing.Results: There were 172 children enrolled in this study and 104 made a self-report of tinnitus. Out of 104 children that self-reported tinnitus showed hearing loss in 67 (64.42%) cases. Different characteristics of tinnitus documented such as ringing (n=38; 36.53%), buzzing (n=21; 20.19%), wheezing (n=15; 14.42%) rustling (n=13;12.50%), beating (n=5;4.80%) and chirping (n=3;2.88%).Conclusions: Tinnitus in the pediatric age group affects their social interactions and learning. Tinnitus in children should be detected early and managed appropriately for avoiding the adverse consequences of tinnitus on a child’s health and wellbeing.

Tinnitus in Children

“…Hearing loss as a risk factor for tinnitus in children has been demonstrated in some studies, however. In a cross-sectional study on children aged 5–18 years who attended a tertiary care teaching hospital in Eastern India with a primary complaint of hearing impairment, Swain and Baliarsingh [ 2 ] examined the relationship between pure tone audiometry (up to 8 kHz) and tinnitus (assessed by questionnaire). Of the 172 children enrolled in the study, 104 self-reported tinnitus, of whom 67 (64.4%) were subsequently diagnosed with hearing loss.…”

“…The review also concluded that problems relating to the impact of tinnitus on quality of life and feelings of isolation are important problem domains to consider when managing a child who has tinnitus. Swain and Baliarsingh [ 2 ] also suggest tinnitus can have a negative effect on social interactions and learning in children.…”

“…Children often describe tinnitus in similar terms to adults, i.e. ringing, buzzing, or chirping [ 2 – 4 ]. However, they can also use creative or emotive descriptors, such as sounds like ‘car beeping’, ‘rice crispies’, or ‘angry bees buzzing’, the latter perhaps more indicative of tinnitus that is distressing to the child [ 5 ].…”