HIS Tinnitus Assessment & Management

Question 1

What is tinnitus and what is its prevalence in adults with hearing loss?

Accepted Answer

Tinnitus is the perception of sound (ringing, buzzing, hissing) without an external acoustic stimulus; approximately 80-90% of people with hearing loss have some degree of tinnitus

Answer

Tinnitus is ear pain; it occurs in about 5% of hearing loss patients

Answer

Tinnitus is a middle ear infection common in children

Answer

Tinnitus is feedback from a hearing aid; it affects 100% of hearing aid users

Question 2

What is sound therapy in the context of tinnitus management and how does it help?

Accepted Answer

Using background sound (white noise, nature sounds, or hearing aid amplification) to partially mask or blend with tinnitus, reducing its perceived loudness and annoyance

Answer

Exposing patients to very loud sounds to desensitize the auditory system

Answer

A form of psychotherapy using music to treat depression

Answer

Surgical implantation of a sound-generating device in the cochlea

Question 3

What is Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) and what are its two main components?

Accepted Answer

A therapy combining directive counseling (to reclassify tinnitus as a neutral signal) and low-level sound therapy (to promote habituation), based on the neurophysiological model of tinnitus

Answer

A drug therapy and surgical approach to cure tinnitus

Answer

An exercise program and diet modification for tinnitus reduction

Answer

A combination of hearing aid fitting and cochlear implantation

Question 4

Which validated questionnaire is most commonly used to assess tinnitus handicap and severity?

Accepted Answer

THI (Tinnitus Handicap Inventory)

Answer

APHAB (Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit)

Answer

HHIE (Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly)

Answer

GHABP (Glasgow Hearing Aid Benefit Profile)

Question 5

How do hearing aids help patients with tinnitus even when the primary indication is hearing loss?

Accepted Answer

Hearing aids restore ambient sound audibility, reducing the contrast between tinnitus and the acoustic environment, and by restoring auditory input may reduce tinnitus-generating neural hyperactivity

Answer

Hearing aids suppress tinnitus by electrically stimulating the cochlea

Answer

Hearing aids block the ear canal completely, which masks tinnitus

Answer

Hearing aids have no effect on tinnitus—separate devices are always required

Question 6

When should a patient with tinnitus be referred to a physician or specialist?

Accepted Answer

When tinnitus is pulsatile (rhythmic, heartbeat-like), unilateral, associated with sudden hearing loss, vertigo, or neurological symptoms—these may indicate a serious underlying condition

Answer

All patients with tinnitus must be medically cleared before any counseling

Answer

Only when the patient requests a referral

Answer

Only if tinnitus has been present for more than 10 years