Background: Tinnitus is a sound precepted without an external sound stimulus. Its
background can be categorised into primary and secondary cases. The secondary cases
include pathologies of the external, middle and inner ear. Tinnitus can be objective
or subjective; the latter can only identified by the sufferer. Previous research results
have shown that tinnitus significantly affects the quality of life and daily functioning.
Objectives: To analyse the impact of tinnitus on the daily functioning and the possible
influence of demographical data and tinnitus duration on it. Methods: 630 patients
(265 males and 365 females, 25-85 years of age) suffering from primary tinnitus were
enrolled. In the Hungarian language, these patients completed the Tinnitus Handicap
Inventory (THI) questionnaire and underwent a complete otorhinolaryngological examination.
IBM SPSS V24 software was used for data processing; correlation tests, the Mann-Whitney
U and Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric tests were used. Results: According to the THI
questionnaires outcomes, most patients (62.5%) were presented with a mild handicap.
Based on statistical analysis, no significant correlation was observed between the
total THI points and the age of the patients, along with the duration and localisation
of the symptoms. However, the total THI scores of male and female patients significantly
differed, indicating higher THI values in the female group (p 1/4 0.00052*). Conclusions:
The tinnitus severity was not affected by the duration, localisation of the symptoms
and age but by gender, indicating higher values in the case of females. (c) 2022 PLA
General Hospital Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. Production and
hosting by Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Ltd. This is an open access article under the
CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
