Speech perception in noise in patients with tinnitus

• Grant number: 24/06450-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2024
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Speech Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Sthella Zanchetta
• Grantee: Pollyana Mendonça Oliveira Vieira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Tinnitus, a prevalent auditory symptom, is characterized by noises in the ears without an external source, varying in intensity, timbre, frequency and location. It can be transient or chronic. Its etiology is multifactorial, associated with otological, metabolic, somatopsychic, hormonal and cardiovascular causes, impacting quality of life. The assessment of tinnitus is crucial, involving different methods, such as audiological examinations and psychoacoustic measurements. Objective: To investigate the impact of tinnitus on speech intelligibility in noise in adults with and without hearing loss. Another symptom that may be associated with tinnitus is hyperacusis, characterized by reduced tolerance to sounds, causing intense discomfort that is not experienced by people with normal hearing. Patients with tinnitus, even without hearing loss, often report difficulties understanding speech, especially in noisy environments, and perform worse on speech-in-noise tests compared to individuals without tinnitus. Method: we will apply the Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Handicap (Pt-AIADH), Hyperacusis Questionnaire (QH) and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaires. We will also carry out the following audiological assessment procedures: Pure Tone Audiometry, Speech Recognition Threshold, acoustic immittance measurements, tinnitus, High Frequency Audiometry (AAF) and discomfort threshold. Finally, we will perform the Wechsler Memory Scale - Revised (WMS-R) and the Sentences List in Portuguese (SLP). For inclusion in the experimental group, we will consider participants with hearing acuity within normal limits or mild to moderate, unilateral or bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. And for the control group we will consider healthy subjects. The data will be analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively with the support of statistical analysis software. The statistical tests applied will do justice to whether or not the data is normally distributed.