TINNITUS AMONG PATIENTS IN GHANA

Abstract

A study to determine the prevalence of subjective tinnitus was carried out at the Kumasi Hearing Assessment Centre in central Ghana.  A total of two thousand two hundred and seven (2,207) out-patients aged between 6- >65 years, who complained of hearing problems or tinnitus either in isolation or in association with hearing loss, were seen from January 1995 to December 1998.

The procedure adopted included a detailed case history and a study of the patients medical notes, otoscopy and audiometric evaluation.  Out of the 2,207 patients seen, 384 (19.3%) complained of tinnitus.  87 (22.5) of the e84 patients suffering from tinnitus had normal hearing.  In addition patients with mild hearing loss had more tinnitus than other degrees of hearing loss.  There was a relationship between tinnitus and associated symptoms.  Tinnitus was described as intermittent and constant and increased with advancing age; it also had varied degrees of annoyance effect.

Key words: Subjective tinnitus, prevalence, associated symptoms, annoyance effect, management.