Nearly one in 10 adults in the U.S. report experiencing at least one episode of tinnitus — a persistent ringing, roaring or buzzing sound in the ears or head — within the previous year, according to a new study.
More than a third of those adults say they have almost constant symptoms.
The study also found that tinnitus is significantly more likely to occur among people who have been regularly exposed to a noisy environment, either on the job or during leisure pursuits.
These findings are concerning, for, as the study points out, people “with intolerable and bothersome tinnitus often experience sleep disturbance and poor quality of life, which can lead to mental distress, worsened anxiety and depression symptoms, and disability.”
Yet, “despite this evidence,” write the study's authors, “we found that most [people with tinnitus] had not discussed their problem with a physician, and many more had never tried any form of remedy.”
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