Analysis of Factors affecting Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI)

Ryu, So Jin; Bahng, Junghwa

doi:2011.7.2.164

Audiol > Volume 7(2); 2011 > Article

Research Paper

Audiology 2011;7(2): 164-178.
Published online: December 31, 2011.
doi: http://doi.org/10.21848/audiol.2011.7.2.164

이명장애지수에 영향을 주는 요인에 대한 분석

류소진¹, 방정화²

¹소리이비인후과
²한림국제대학원대학교 청각학과

Analysis of Factors affecting Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI)

So Jin Ryu¹, Junghwa Bahng²

¹Soree Ear Clinic, Seoul, Korea
²Department of Audiology, Hallym Graduate Studies, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence

Junghwa Bahng ,Tel: (070) 8680-6933, Fax: (02) 3453-6618, Email: bahng.jh@gmail.com

Received: November 5, 2011; Revised: December 2, 2011 Accepted: December 13, 2011. Published online: December 31, 2011.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors related to tinnitus affecting Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) scores. THI, VAS (Visual Analog Scale), Tinnitus history questionnaire, pure-tone audiometry, tinnitogram were conducted with 201 participants who suffered from tinnitus. Among them, 161 subjects had hearing loss. Results indicated that the loudness of tinnitus significantly related to THI scores. However, coefficient of determination was low. THI scores were significantly higher in subjects with unilateral tinnitus than bilateral tinnitus. However, hearing thresholds, gender, onset of tinnitus, type of tinnitus, frequency of tinnitus were not significantly related to THI scores. There was a significant correlation between the subtests of VAS and THI scores. The results of the present study suggest that objective factors related to tinnitus may not predict the degree of tinnitus discomfort and its handicap.

Key Words: Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Tinnitus, Visual Analog Scale (VAS)

중심단어: 이명, 이명장애지수, VAS