Introduction and objective:

Tinnitus, with concurrent episodes of vertigo, neurosensorial hearing loss and aural fullness are the cardinal symptoms of Ménière Disease. Not achieving the importance it deserves in the management of the disease, tinnitus has a relevant impact on the lives of patients, especially in the psychological sphere.

Method:

Fifteen patients with Ménière's disease were selected according to the Bárány Society diagnostic criteria at the University Hospital of Salamanca. Specific variables were recorded for the analysis of the cardinal symptoms of Ménière's disease. Facts about the age of onset and years of disease evolution were collected and in the same strategy for tinnitus, bilateral or unilateral involvement of the disease and in the latter case, the affected ear. Patients were subjected to audiometric test and tinnitus matching. The main parameters defining tinnitus were assessed: frequency (Hz), intensity (dB), minimum masking level (dB) and residual inhibition (seconds). Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were performed to determine tinnitus severity. The assessment of mental symptoms was obtained through the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Results:

Ménière's disease is diagnosed at the mean age of 47.47 years. The average hearing loss at each frequency due to Ménière's disease is approximately 50 dB. Tinnitus is not prevailing in any of the ears (p>0.05). A significant correlation was found between THI and VAS (r=0.72; p<0.01). Both, THI and VAS, were not related to mean values of hearing loss in either ears. Patients with over two years of disease evolution are associated with higher scores on the THI and HADS depression subscales (r=0.821; p=0.001).

Discussion:

The intensity of tinnitus, quantified subjectively with THI, is not related to hearing loss in patients with Ménière's disease. The study of the psychological sphere through the HADS demonstrates certain predominance of depressive pathology in patients who present longstanding tinnitus.

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