Prevalence of tinnitus in elderly individuals with and without history of occupational noise exposure

INTRODUCTION  The various metabolic and circulatory alterations that are related to noise exposure may cause the onset of several symptoms, including tinnitus. OBJECTIVE  The purpose of the study was to assess the prevalence of tinnitus complaints in elderly individuals with and without history of occupational noise exposure. METHOD  This prospective study was conducted in a sample population consisting of 502 individuals aged over 60 years, by anamnesis and audiological evaluation. The variables that were studied were the frequency of tinnitus and the history of occupational noise. Logistic regression was used to control for potential confusion or modifications caused by the effects of the other variables on the associations of interest. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION  Tinnitus was reported in 50% of the cases, with tinnitus reported in 40% of the elderly individuals with history of occupational noise exposure, and in 43% of controls (elderly individuals without history of occupational noise exposure). A high frequency of tinnitus was detected in the population under investigation, but there were no statistically significant associations between the presence of tinnitus and history of occupational noise exposure. CONCLUSION  The results of this study may have occurred due to other factors such as the age of the individuals without history of occupational noise exposure.