Efficacy of Amplification for Tinnitus Relief in People With Mild Hearing Loss

Abstract

Purpose: The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of amplification with hearing aids for people with chronic subjective tinnitus and mild hearing loss. Method: In this randomized, controlled, three-arm trial, 38 subjects with a primary complaint of tinnitus were randomly assigned to one of the three treatment groups. Twelve subjects received informational counselling (IC) only, 13 received IC with hearing aid fitting, and 13 subjects received IC with individualized music stimulation for 12 months. The primary efficacy analysis in tinnitus severity was based on the change from baseline to 12 months after the 1st day of the intervention. Secondary outcome measures included tinnitus impact, psychological and mental health effects, subjective ratings, and psychoacoustically measured tinnitus loudness. Results: A statistically significant treatment difference among the three groups in the Chinese Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI-CH) total score at the predefined end point in Month 12 was observed ( F = 3.34, p = .04, partial η 2 = .16). Reductions in the TFI-CH scores in both the hearing aid and the customized music group were more prominent than in the IC-only group. Only the hearing aid group showed a significantly greater treatment effect than the IC-only group. Conclusion: Results from this study support that a combination of hearing aid use and IC can help improve tinnitus in people with mild hearing loss. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25015979