Auditory Evaluation of Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a very frequent condition and an unsolved problem in the population's hearing health. Traditionally it has been defined as the perception of sound in the absence of an external sound stimulus, which is not a disease in itself, but a symptom that can respond to various causes, which is not necessarily associated with hearing loss, since they can also occur in patients with normal hearing thresholds Other symptoms such as the feeling of loss of control over your tinnitus or your life have also been studied. A psychological state of anxiety or emotional stress can exacerbate tinnitus and cause your perception to be magnified, while at the same time, this magnification would increase the state of anxiety, creating a vicious tinnitus-stress cycle. Some authors have suggested that the intensity or tone of a patient's tinnitus does not correlate with the perception of its severity, the measurement of the different parameters of tinnitus, (intensity, pitch ) by means of comparison techniques with external sounds, it does not allow us to approximate the degree of severity referred to by the patient. There are some fundamental components in perception, which are the so-called psychological aspects of tinnitus. These are responsible for its amplification at the subcortical level. The detection, diagnosis and treatment of tinnitus have been complex, due to the subjectivity of its measurement. As there is no clear and objective tool available in the audiological consultation, the decisions for its intervention are limited. It is also important to mention that the determination of the self-perception of tinnitus is relevant for the decision of the possible treatment This study was carried out with a descriptive cross-sectional design and with a comparative method. The objective of the study was to determine the incorporation of the evaluation of the self-perception of tinnitus provided by the self-evaluation questionnaires in the clinical evaluation protocol of tinnitus.

Author(s): Jacqueline Cuellar

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