Thursday, 04 November 2021
New research led by researchers from the University of Nottingham, has found that approximately 65million adults in the EU suffer from tinnitus, and this figure will significantly rise over the next decade.
The research, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, is the first study to look rigorously at the prevalence of tinnitus across the populations of 12 EU member states.
The study was led by Roshni Biswas from the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, working with a team of experts from the University of Nottingham, the the Istituto di Ricerche Farmologiche Mario Negri IRCCS in Milan, Herriot-Watt University in Malaysia and the University of Regensburg in Germany.
Tinnitus is when you experience ringing or other noises in one or both of your ears that other people usually can’t hear. The condition can be moderate or severe, and in its most debilitating form, it can affect people’s emotional health and social wellbeing. At present there is no cure or approved medications to treat tinnitus, but there are therapies available to help manage the condition and the very latest drug research is showing promise.
It’s important to know the prevalence of tinnitus in different countries, but previous data has been difficult to compare across country because measurements have often been done in different ways. The aim of this study was to report a single European-wide estimate for tinnitus frequency and to investigate the effect of individual and country-level characteristics on prevalence.
Nearly 11 and a half thousand people were recruited between 2017 and 2018, to take part in a cross sectional European Tinnitus Survey in 12 EU nations (Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain), using a set of tinnitus-related questions and response options.
The team found that:
- The prevalence of any type of tinnitus was 14% (1.2% higher in women than in men);
- Severe tinnitus was found in 1.2% of participants ;
- Tinnitus prevalence significantly increased with age and worsening of hearing;
- Healthcare resource use for tinnitus increased with the increase of tinnitus symptom severity.
This is the first time that we’ve properly and rigorously measured the scale of how much of a problem tinnitus is across Europe as a whole. Tinnitus can affect people’s mental wellbeing, and as the population grows, and people live for longer, this problem will only get worse. We hope that this date can now be used to implement effective treatments and to encourage the appropriate stakeholders across the EU to look at how they can tackle this growing problem.”
the full study can be found here.
Story credits
More information is available from Professor Michael A Akeroyd in the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham at michael.akeroyd@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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