Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the distribution and possible causes of objective tinnitus in geriatric patients.

METHODS: A total of 242 patients (101 males, 141 females; mean age: 71.5±13.3 years) over 65 years who were admitted to our outpatient clinic with the complaint of tinnitus between March 2021 and October 2021 were included in the retrospective study. The clinical history and the etiology of tinnitus were investigated. The pure tone audiometry tests were evaluated to determine whether there was a loss in any frequency. The associations between the presence of objective tinnitus, age, sex, hearing loss, and comorbid diseases were analyzed.

RESULTS: The prevalence of objective tinnitus was 13.6% in geriatric patients. The relation between objective tinnitus with the male sex and lower age was statistically significant (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). No association was found between objective tinnitus and hearing loss or other comorbid diseases (p=0.727 and p=0.658, respectively).

CONCLUSION: Objective tinnitus may be less common than subjective tinnitus; however, a detailed medical history and physical examination is recommended, particularly in males and younger patients. The most common cause of objective tinnitus was vascular diseases.