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Majority Tinnitus Patients Told to Live With It


Group of doctors walking away; tinnitus patients concept

For many suffering from tinnitus, this won't come as any surprise, but research published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing shows that "not enough is being done to support patients" even though "as many as one in seven people will experience tinnitus, or ringing in their ears, at some time of their life." 

We also know that young people suffer temporary hearing loss after attending concerts or nightclubs, but it's also "the most common injury arising from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq." Even so, and "despite the fact that it is a very distressing condition and can affect people's lifestyle and quality of life, around 94% of patients are simply told that nothing can be done to alleviate the condition." 

Professor Susan Holmes of the Canterbury Christ Church University at Kent, in the UK, goes on to say:

Tinnitus is a widespread condition that affects millions of people across the world and there is considerable debate about its causes. The condition, which can be permanent or temporary and acute or chronic, increases with age and can also occur after bereavement or during stressful periods.
The bottom line is that although "patients may have to learn to live with tinnitus, the most important thing is that they recognize that help is available" by receiving "support and advice [from healthcare professionals] on healthcare options, encouragement to try different treatments and recognition that help and hope are available". Other key findings:
  • Tinnitus is international: nearly one-fifth of Americans have tinnitus; Italians come in at 14.%; Germany has 1.5 million sufferers and the UK almost 5 million with tinnitus.
  • Tinnitus increases with age. "Only 1% of people under 45 get tinnitus, compared with 12% between 60 and 69 and 25% to 30% over 70; and women appear to experience more complex tinnitus, but the reasons are unclear."
  • It is unlikely that tinnitus has a single underlying cause. Many cases relate to ageing and hearing loss, but other causes appear to be damage to the middle ear, cochlea and audiovestibular nerve and cerebral pathways between the cochlear nucleus and primary auditory cortex.
Some of the things you can do to treat or alleviate tinnitus include: medication, surgery, hearing aids to amplify external sounds and mask the tinnitus, or distraction techniques, such as TV and radio. 

Healthcare professionals also need to tackle the psychosocial distress caused by the condition, which can include tension, frustration, anger, loss of concentration and sleep disturbance.

"Telling patients that nothing can be done is not acceptable."

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