Tinnitus and Headache

Abstract

Background. Tinnitus and headache are frequent disorders. Here, we aimed to investigate whether the occurrence of headache among tinnitus patients is purely coincidental or whether tinnitus and headache are pathophysiologically linked. We investigated a large sample of patients with tinnitus and headache to estimate prevalence rates of different headache forms, to determine the relationship between tinnitus laterality and headache laterality, and to explore the relationship between tinnitus and headache over time. Method. Patients who presented at a tertiary referral center because of tinnitus and reported comorbid headache were asked to complete validated questionnaires to determine the prevalence of migraine and tension-type headache and to assess tinnitus severity. In addition, several questions about the relationship between headache and tinnitus were asked. Results. Datasets of 193 patients with tinnitus and headache were analysed. 44.6% suffered from migraine, 13% from tension-type headache, and 5.7% from both. Headache laterality was significantly related to tinnitus laterality and in the majority of patients fluctuations in symptom severity of tinnitus and headache were interrelated. Conclusion. These findings suggest a significant relationship between tinnitus and headache laterality and symptom interaction over time and argue against a purely coincidental cooccurrence of tinnitus and headache. Both disorders may be linked by common pathophysiological mechanisms.

Association Between Headaches and Tinnitus in Young Adults: Cross‐Sectional Study

“…Direct biological links between migraine and tinnitus are not known. Based on findings of similar laterality of migraine and tinnitus symptoms as well as findings that tinnitus symptoms are stronger during migraine attacks, it can be hypothesized that central sensitization is a common factor for both conditions …”

“…7,8,10,11 In a cross-sectional study of 1817 patients visiting a university hospital tinnitus center, 27% reported headaches. 11 A total of 193 patients with both headache and tinnitus (mean age 52 years, 61% women) participated in a sub-study, allowing more detailed assessment of headache symptoms. Forty-five percent had migraine, 13% tension-type headache, 6% both migraine and tension-type headache, and 36 other mostly unclassifiable headache forms.…”

“…6 Associations between headaches and tinnitus have been described before. [7][8][9][10][11] In a recent cross-sectional study of adult patients with tinnitus aged 18-90 years, headache and particularly migraine were very prevalent. 11 However, associations of headache status and tinnitus in younger individuals and in data not assembled for either headache or tinnitus remain unclear.…”

A trauma-focused approach for patients with tinnitus: the effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing – a multicentre pilot trial

“…The severity of the distress experienced from the tinnitus is determined not by the acoustic characteristics, such as pitch and loudness of tinnitus (Andersson, 2003; Henry & Meikle, 2000; Hiller & Goebel, 2007), but by the cognitive, emotional and behavioural reactions to it (Andersson, 2002; Andersson & Westin, 2008; Cima, Crombez, & Vlaeyen, 2011; McKenna, Handscomb, Hoare, & Hall, 2014). Many tinnitus patients suffer from insomnia (Cronlein et al, 2016), concentration difficulties (Hallam, McKenna, & Shurlock, 2004; Rossiter, Stevens, & Walker, 2006) or headaches (Langguth et al, 2015). Comorbid mental symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress are common (Fagelson, 2007; Hinton, Chhean, Pich, Hofmann, & Barlow, 2006; McCormack et al, 2015; Pattyn et al, 2016; Zoger, Svedlund, & Holgers, 2006).…”

Can Animal Models Contribute to Understanding Tinnitus Heterogeneity in Humans?

“…Phenotype differences such as tinnitus pitch, loudness, and aurality may be important as well, but estimates of pitch and loudness are varying between tests (Hoare et al, 2014). Comorbidities of the neurological type such as migraine or tension-type headaches (Langguth et al, 2015), psychological type, such as depression and distress or finding tinnitus bothersome (Schecklmann et al, 2013; Pattyn et al, 2016), and of the audiological type such as hyperacusis (Schecklmann et al, 2014) seem to be more important for treatment than etiology. Moreover, these comorbidities together with the amount of hearing loss appear to underlie most of the electro- and magneto-encephalography (EEG/MEG) and brain imaging findings, whereas tinnitus on its own barely affects these (Davies et al, 2014).…”