3 research outputs found
Standardised profiling for tinnitus research: The European School for Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Research Screening Questionnaire (ESIT-SQ)
Background: The heterogeneity of tinnitus is substantial. Its numerous pathophysiological mechanisms
and clinical manifestations have hampered fundamental and treatment research significantly. A decade
ago, the Tinnitus Research Initiative introduced the Tinnitus Sample Case History Questionnaire, a case history instrument for standardised collection of information about the characteristics of the tinnitus
patient. Since then, a number of studies have been published which characterise individuals and groups
using data collected with this questionnaire. However, its use has been restricted to a clinical setting and
to the evaluation of people with tinnitus only. In addition, it is limited in the ability to capture relevant
comorbidities and evaluate their temporal relationship with tinnitus.
Method: Here we present a new case history instrument which is comprehensive in scope and can be
answered by people with and without tinnitus alike. This ‘European School for Interdisciplinary Tinnitus
Research Screening Questionnaire’ (ESIT-SQ) was developed with specific attention to questions about
potential risk factors for tinnitus (including demographics, lifestyle, general medical and otological
histories), and tinnitus characteristics (including perceptual characteristics, modulating factors, and associations
with co-existing conditions). It was first developed in English, then translated into Dutch,
German, Italian, Polish, Spanish, and Swedish, thus having broad applicability and supporting international
collaboration.
Conclusions: With respect to better understanding tinnitus profiles, we anticipate the ESIT-SQ to be a
starting point for comprehensive multi-variate analyses of tinnitus. Data collected with the ESIT-SQ can
allow establishment of patterns that distinguish tinnitus from non-tinnitus, and definition of common
sets of tinnitus characteristics which might be indicated by the presence of otological or comorbid
systemic diseases for which tinnitus is a known symptom
Sex-Dependent Aggregation of Tinnitus in Swedish Families
Twin and adoption studies point towards a genetic contribution to tinnitus; however, how the genetic risk applies to different forms of tinnitus is poorly understood. Here, we perform a familial aggregation study and determine the relative recurrence risk for tinnitus in siblings (lambda s). Four different Swedish studies (N = 186,598) were used to estimate the prevalence of self-reported bilateral, unilateral, constant, and severe tinnitus in the general population and we defined whether these 4 different forms of tinnitus segregate in families from the Swedish Tinnitus Outreach Project (STOP, N = 2305). We implemented a percentile bootstrap approach to provide accurate estimates and confidence intervals for lambda s. We reveal a significant lambda s for all types of tinnitus, the highest found being 7.27 (95% CI (5.56-9.07)) for severe tinnitus, with a higher susceptibility in women (10.25; 95% CI (7.14-13.61)) than in men (5.03; 95% CI (3.22-7.01)), suggesting that severity may be the most genetically influenced trait in tinnitus in a sex-dependent manner. Our findings strongly support the notion that genetic factors impact on the development of tinnitus, more so for severe tinnitus. These findings highlight the importance of considering tinnitus severity and sex in the design of large genetic studies to optimize diagnostic approaches and ultimately improve therapeutic interventions
Sexual dimorphism in the familial aggregation of tinnitus
Twin and adoption studies point towards a genetic contribution to tinnitus; however, how the genetic risk applies to different forms of tinnitus is poorly understood. Here, we perform a familial aggregation study and determine the relative recurrence risk for tinnitus in siblings (λs). Four different Swedish studies (N = 186,598) were used to estimate the prevalence of self-reported bilateral, unilateral, constant, and severe tinnitus in the general population and we defined whether these 4 different forms of tinnitus segregate in families from the Swedish Tinnitus Outreach Project (STOP, N = 2305). We implemented a percentile bootstrap approach to provide accurate estimates and confidence intervals for λs. We reveal a significant λs for all types of tinnitus, the highest found being 7.27 (95% CI (5.56–9.07)) for severe tinnitus, with a higher susceptibility in women (10.25; 95% CI (7.14–13.61)) than in men (5.03; 95% CI (3.22–7.01)), suggesting that severity may be the most genetically influenced trait in tinnitus in a sex-dependent manner. Our findings strongly support the notion that genetic factors impact on the development of tinnitus, more so for severe tinnitus. These findings highlight the importance of considering tinnitus severity and sex in the design of large genetic studies to optimize diagnostic approaches and ultimately improve therapeutic interventions