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Special guests: Sergei Kochkin, PhD, and Richard Tyler, PhD

[Scientific studies on partial masking have shown], for example,that if you measure the loudness level of someone listening to a pure tone, the loudness of that pure tone actually decreases when you play a narrowband or broadband noise in the background. The loudness of the tone decreases and that also happens with tinnitus.

It is estimated that 10-15% of the US population experiences chronic or persistent tinnitus (eg, ringing in the ears or internal head noises). About half of the people with tinnitus are bothered by it, and it is reported that about 1% indicate that tinnitus substantially affects their lives. Tinnitus can have a direct impact on a person's emotional well being, on their hearing, ability to sleep, and to concentrate. Despite the high prevalence of tinnitus and its obvious impact on the psychological health of the patient, only a small number of people contact physicians or hearing care professionals for help.

This podcast examines the results of a recent survey conducted by Kochkin & Tyler that was published in the December 2008 edition of The Hearing ReviewM. The survey indicates that, according to these professionals, 6 out of 10 (60%) patients seen in dispensing offices experience minor to major relief of tinnitus when wearing hearing aids, and a total of 1 in 5 (22%) receive major relief. Less than 2% of patients experience a worsening of their tinnitus when wearing hearing aids, while 39% are reported to receive no benefit. HR interviews the study's authors to find out more about tinnitus and "sound therapy" treatment using hearing aids, why hearing aids are a good option for those who have both hearing loss and tinnitus, and what dispensing professionals can do to become more proficient at treating patients with tinnitus while encouraging more patients to seek help for their hearing problems.

About our Special Guests:

Sergei Kochkin, PhD

Sergei Kochkin, PhD, is the executive director of Better Hearing Institute (BHI, www.betterhearing.org), a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, dedicated to educating the public about hearing-related problems and what can be done about them. Dr. Kochkin is one of the leading experts on the impact of hearing loss and customer satisfaction with hearing aids in the United States. Over the last 20 years, he has been using the National Family Opinion Panel to survey consumers about a variety of topics related to hearing aid use, including the impact of hearing aids on quality of life, features desired by consumers, and the economics of hearing aid use. Dr. Kochkin's MarkeTrak surveys, underwritten by Knowles Electronics and published in The Hearing Review and in other journals, are widely regarded as some of the most reliable statistics related to hearing aids and the consumers who use them.

Richard Tyler, PhD

Richard Tyler, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at the University of Iowa. Trained in Audiology and Psychoacoustics at the University of Western Ontario and the University of Iowa, his primary areas of research interest are tinnitus and cochlear implants. Dr. Tyler worked in the United Kingdom for three years at the Institute of Hearing Research, and has been a visiting scholar in China, South Africa, Australia, Sweden, and France. He became interested in tinnitus early in his career while working with Professor Ross Coles, and his scientific tinnitus work includes the quantification of tinnitus, as well as the study of different tinnitus treatments. Dr. Tyler sees tinnitus patients weekly in the university's Tinnitus Clinic (www.uihealthcare.com/depts/med/otolaryngology/clinics/tinnitus/) and hosts an annual Tinnitus Treatment Workshop that will celebrate its 17th anniversary in 2009. He has also been the co-principal investigator of a 20-year NIH-funded study of cochlear implants, and is the author/editor of three books: Tinnitus Handbook (Delmar Cengage Learning), Tinnitus Treatment: Clinical Protocols (Thieme Medical Publishers), and The Consumer Handbook on Tinnitus (Auricle Ink Publishers).

Chime In!

We'd like to hear from you! If you have questions or wish to comment on the podcast, please email . Our intent is to use these questions and comments in future podcasts as follow-up items.

Acknowledgements

The editor thanks Neuromonics for the use of the sound samples of tinnitus in the introduction to this podcast. A more complete collection of sound samples can be found at the Neuromonics Web site at www.neuromonics.com. Used with permission.

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Referenced Publications and Resources

• American Tinnitus Association. Tinnitus Overview. Found at: www.ata.org
• Better Hearing Institute (BHI) Website. Found at: www.betterhearing.org
• Del Bo L, et al. Using open-ear hearing aids in tinnitus therapy. Hearing Review. 2006;12(9):30-32. Found at: http://www.hearingreview.com/issues/articles/2006-08_05.asp?frmTagFilePath=%2Fhearing_treatment.asp
• Kochkin S, Tyler R. Tinnitus treatment and the effectiveness of hearing aids: Hearing care professional perceptions. Hearing Review. 2008;15(13):14-18. Found in the December 2008 archives at www.hearingreview.com
• Kochkin S. MarkeTrak VII: Hearing loss population tops 31 million people. Hearing Review. 2005;12(7):16-29. Found at: http://www.hearingreview.com/issues/articles/2005-07_01.asp
• Kochkin S. Hearing loss and its impact on household income. Hearing Review. 2005;12(11):16-24. Found at: http://www.hearingreview.com/issues/articles/2005-10_02.asp.
• Kochkin S, Rogin C. Quantifying the obvious: The impact of hearing aids on quality of life. Hearing Review. 2000;7(1):8-34. Download PDF of article at: >http://www.betterhearing.org/pdfs/MR40.pdf.
• Searchfield GD. Tinnitus sound therapy options. In Tyler RS, ed. Tinnitus Treatments: Clinical Protocols. New York: Thieme Medical Publishing (www.thieme.com);2006.
• Sinopoli T, Davis PB, Hanley P. Tinnitus: Addressing neurological, audiological, and psychological aspects with customized therapy. Hearing Review. 2007;14(9):32-35. Found at: http://www.hearingreview.com/issues/articles/2007-08_03.asp
• Tyler RS, et al. Tinnitus Activities Treatment. Tinnitus Treatments. New York: Thieme Medical Publishing (www.thieme.com); 2006.
• Tyler R, Haskell GB, Gogel SA, Gehringer AK. "Establishing a tinnitus clinic in your practice." Am J Audiol. 2008;17:25-37.
• Tyler RS. The Consumer Handbook on Tinnitus. Sedona, Ariz: Auricle Ink Publishers (www.hearingproblems.com);2008.
• Tyler RS, University of Iowa. Tinnitus Activities Therapy Pictures. Found at: http://www.uihealthcare.com/depts/med/otolaryngology/clinics/tinnitus/activitytherapy.html

Podcast interview recorded on November 8, 2008; available online at www.hearingreview.com on December 18, 2008. Podcast produced by Hearing Review Editor Karl E. Strom with Robert Elmquist, Fabian Chung, and Cristina Paraiso. Music (On the Bus) by Terramara available at www.terramara.com.