Introduction:

Tinnitus is a highly prevalent condition that can affect the quality of life of patients.

Objective:

To assess the quality of life and its associated factors in adult patients with tinnitus.

Methods:

Cross-sectional and analytical study carried out with a population that included adult patients with tinnitus symptoms attended in the otorhinolaryngology service of a reference hospital in Lima, Peru. The effect of tinnitus on quality of life was measured using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory.

Results:

The study included 151 patients with tinnitus: 31.2 % were male and the mean age was 66 years, while 17.2 % and 23.1 % of patients with tinnitus had a history of depressive disorders and anxiety disorders, respectively. Of tinnitus patients, 85.4% and 62.2% had hearing loss and headache, respectively. The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory showed a median value of 26 (interquartile: 8-50), a minimum value of 0, and a maximum value of 100. Of the patients, 101 (66.8 %) had mild to moderate disability due to tinnitus, while 50 (33 %) had moderate to severe disability. In multivariate analysis, anxiety (OR=2.59; 95 % CI: 1.14-5.9; P= 0.02), hearing loss (OR= 12.9; 95 % CI: 1.65-102.1; P= 0.01) and headache (OR= 2.61; 95 % CI 1.18-5.8; p= 0.01) were found to be associated with moderate to severe disability due to tinnitus.

Conclusions:

Adult patients with tinnitus frequently had moderate to severe impairment of their quality of life. Factors associated with moderate to severe disability due to tinnitus were anxiety, headache, and hearing loss.

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