Investigation of Serum Zinc Level in Patients with Hearing Loss and its Association with Tinnitus

Introduction: This study aims to determine the serum zinc level in patients with hearing loss and its relation with tinnitus.  Materials & Methods: In this Cross-Sectional study, 110 patients older than 20 years old with Complaining of hearing loss and tinnitus were involved. Participating patients were first visited by an ear, nose, and throat specialist with a history and physical examination, and were assessed for standard hearing loss as well as the intensity and frequency of tinnitus by standard audiometric tests. Then, fasting blood samples were taken to check serum zinc levels. Results:The mean serum level was 85.32 ± 27 27.62, and the mean frequency of tinnitus was 4.94 ± 2.76, both of which had significant differences between different groups (P = 0.001). The mean intensity of tinnitus was 7.77 ± 4.56, and there was no significant difference between different groups (P = 0.677). Serum zinc level and tinnitus frequency were associated with a correlation coefficient of 0.205 (P = 0.032), and serum zinc level and tinnitus severity were associated with a correlation coefficient of 0.249 (P = 0.009). Conclusion: According to the present study results, the positive effect of serum zinc levels on the severity and frequency of tinnitus has been determined so that with decreasing serum zinc levels, tinnitus occurs at lower frequencies.