Chronic tinnitus and the positive effects of sound enrichment from a smartphone app of: case–control study (Preprint)

Abstract

Tinnitus is a phantom auditory sensation in the absence of any external stimuli. It is accompanied by a broad range of negative emotional symptoms and significantly lower quality of life. So far, there is no cure for tinnitus although various treatment options have been tried. One of them is mobile technology employing dedicated applications based on sound therapy. The applications can be managed by the patient and tailored according to their needs.

The aim of the study was to assess the effect on the severity of tinnitus of using a mobile application that generates background sounds.

The study involved 68 adults who experienced chronic tinnitus. Participants were divided into a study group and a control group. For 6 months those in the study group used a free mobile application that enriched the sound environment with a background sound. Participants were instructed to use the application for at least 30 min a day and they could listen to any sort of sound according to their preference. The participants in the control group did not use the application. Subjective changes in the daily functioning of both groups were evaluated using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaire, a visual analog scale, and a user survey.

After 3 months of using the application the THI global score significantly decreased in the study group, and decreased again at 6 months. The highest improvement was observed in the emotional and catastrophic reactions subscales. Based on the THI questionnaire, a clinically significant change was reported by 39% (17 of 44). Almost 90% of the study participants chose environmental sounds to listen to, the most popular being rain and ocean waves. In the control group, tinnitus severity did not change over 3 or 6 months.

Although the participants still experienced limitations caused by tinnitus, the advantage of the app was that it led to lower negative emotions and thus reduced overall tinnitus severity. It is worth considering whether a mobile app might be incorporated into the management of tinnitus in a professional setting.

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