By Hazel Goedhart and Markku Vesala

Online surveys of tinnitus patients find distinctions by age group, which may point to better understanding the causes and treatments for tinnitus.

Tinnitus, or hearing ringing or buzzing without an external sound source, affects an estimated 10 to 20 percent of the population, with roughly 1 to 2 percent severely debilitated by the condition, to the point where it disrupts daily activities such as sleep. Yet there is no cure, and tinnitus remains under-researched and the science underfunded.

Tinnitus Hub is uniquely positioned to gather large amounts of data from tinnitus patients. We are a volunteer-based, patient organization in the U.K. and run the largest online global community for people with tinnitus, called Tinnitus Talk. With over 29,000 registered members, we collect patient data through surveys and share results with researchers to help find better treatments and a cure.

As with hearing loss, tinnitus becomes more common with age; more than a quarter of those over 65 say they have some form of tinnitus, according to a 2011 Hearing Review report. We wondered, how are older people affected, and how do they cope?

Tinnitus and Hearing Loss

We find that older people with tinnitus are highly likely to have self-reported hearing loss, which shows a connection between the two conditions. 

This means that older adults often are coping with both hearing loss and tinnitus. As one of our respondents says: “Even though I have been diagnosed with only mild hearing loss, I just can’t hear people as well ‘over’ the tinnitus.” They may also find the tinnitus aspect harder to explain to others: “Tinnitus is not understood at all. I prefer saying I have a hearing loss.”

On the positive side, hyperacusis, or oversensitivity to sounds, appears less common among older tinnitus patients, with 54 percent of the 65-plus group reporting the condition, vs. 62 percent of the younger group. When older tinnitus patients do experience hyperacusis, our data shows it tends to be a milder form. 

Seniors in our surveys also are less likely to report their tinnitus as “reactive” to noise; in other words, they say their tinnitus is less likely to change due to certain environmental sounds.

Quality of Life

We see no difference among age groups when it comes to how much of the time a survey respondent is consciously aware of or annoyed by their tinnitus. However, we see a marked difference among age groups when it comes to mood changes, social withdrawal, or concentration problems from tinnitus. Older adults report lower rates of tinnitus-induced mood, social, and concentration issues. 

Older people also report feeling less “defined” by their tinnitus. This could be because older adults may be dealing with other life-impacting health issues. 

Treatment and Support

When comparing older and younger tinnitus patients, our surveys show older adults are generally less likely to seek help, whether through treatment, their social network, or online. 

We see a small but statistically significant difference in the likelihood of seeking treatment (largely self-administered, such as dietary supplements or sound therapy): 59 percent of under-65s tried a treatment, compared with 54 percent of the 65-plus group. 

We also find that 37 percent of under-65s never sought help from family and friends, vs. 53 percent of those over age 65. And, about three-quarters of seniors with tinnitus searched online to find help, vs. 98 percent of those in their 20s. 

We tracked online engagement in forums on Tinnitus Talk and found a dramatic drop-off by age. This is likely related to how older adults generally spend less time online overall and tend to be less internet-savvy.

What Does This Mean?

Even though the older tinnitus patient generally finds the condition easier to cope with, there are still many who struggle, and they may be less likely to seek support or treatment, either in person or online. As a patient organization, Tinnitus Hub focuses on providing online resources that are succinct and easy to find. We also encourage one-on-one correspondence between Tinnitus Talk members using direct messaging. 

Knowing there are peers who have similar challenges can help the older tinnitus patient cope. As one older respondent puts it: “How can people understand that you are being driven to madness when they hear nothing?”

Recent tinnitus research is increasingly pointing to the need to define varying tinnitus “subtypes” as a prerequisite to finding a cure. The age-related differences that we found among tinnitus patients—such as hyperacusis being less common among older adults—may help with the definitions of these subtypes.

There is much more to be learned about tinnitus in the old and the young before we can cure this debilitating condition. We at Tinnitus Hub remain committed to this goal and support the research of Hearing Health Foundation to restore hearing, as this will likely relieve or even eliminate tinnitus for many. 

This article was originally published in the Fall 2019 issue of Hearing Health magazine. Hazel Goedhart (pictured) is a director and the chief strategist for Tinnitus Hub, founded by Markku Vesala. All referenced data comes from online surveys conducted by Tinnitus Hub in 2016 and 2018 with nearly 9,000 combined responses. All statistical effects described in the article are significant at 95 percent confidence level or higher. Statistical analysis was conducted by Iris den Haan (intern and student at the Free University of Amsterdam) and Brian Gendreau (a clinical professor of finance at the University of Florida). For more, see tinnitushub.com. To access the tinnitus forums directly, see tinnitustalk.com. For references, see hhf.org/fall2019-references.

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