Welcome to Hashir Clinics for Tinnitus , Hyperacusis & Misophonia at London, Guildford, and therapy from distance via video call

About Us

This is the private clinic of Dr. Hashir Aazh BSc, MSc, PhD. Hashir is an academic and clinical expert in the field of rehabilitative therapies for tinnitus, hyperacusis and misophonia for children and adults in the UK. A recent study that assessed patient’s views about the effectiveness of therapy for management of tinnitus, hyperacusis and misophonia showed that 85% of patients ranked their treatment as very effective (click here for details). In addition, a significant number of parents have been delighted with the improvements their children make during therapy at Tinnitus & Hyperacusis Therapy Specialist Clinics. The focus of the therapy is to help patients to regain their confidence in leading their normal life without depending on any equipment or medication.

It is a common concern in individuals with tinnitus that if their hearing worsens for any reason it may lead to an increase in the loudness of their tinnitus to a level that they would not be able to cope with. In collaboration with Professor Richard Salvi who is the director of University at Buffalo’s Centre for Hearing and Deafness in United States, Dr. Hashir Aazh explored the relationship between hearing loss and tinnitus loudness in over 400 patients. This study has been published in the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. See the video for details of the study and its results.

A New article by Dr. Hashir Aazh on Hyperacusis in collaboration with researchers in the US

Internal Consistency and Convergent Validity of the Inventory of Hyperacusis Symptoms

Ear and Hearing, November 2020

The aim was to assess the validity and reliability of a new questionnaire for hyperacusis, the Inventory of Hyperacusis Symptoms (IHS). Results showed that this hyperacusis questionnaire has good internal consistency and reasonably high validity, as indicated by the relationship of IHS scores to other measures of hyperacusis. Dr Aazh and his colleagues propose a new criteria for diagnosing hyperacusis.

A New article by Dr. Hashir Aazh in collaboration with researchers in the UK and South Africa on tinnitus and hyperacusis management via telehealth

Telehealth tinnitus therapy during the COVID-19 outbreak in the UK: uptake and related factors

International Journal of Audiology, October 2020

During COVID-19 lockdown, patients were offered telehealth CBT via video using a web-based platform. This study evaluated the proportion of patients who took up the offer of telehealth sessions and factors related to this. Although CBT via telehealth was acceptable to most patients, alternatives may be necessary for the 20% who declined. These tended to have worse hearing in their better ear and more annoying tinnitus.

A New article by Dr. Hashir Aazh in collaboration with researchers in University of Cambridge (UK) and University of Melbourne (Australia) on CBT for tinnitus and hyperacusis.

Patients' Perspectives About the Acceptability and Effectiveness of Audiologist-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Tinnitus and/or Hyperacusis Rehabilitation

American Journal of Audiology, December 2019

The aim of this study was to evaluate the views of patients who completed audiologist-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) about (a) the effectiveness of the treatment, (b) the acceptability of receiving CBT from audiologists, and (c) the most effective treatment components. The majority of patients reported that it was very acceptable to them to receive CBT focused on tinnitus and hyperacusis from a specialist audiologist; the median response was 10/10. The majority of patients felt that the CBT was very effective (median response 8/10) and that they were able to manage their tinnitus and/or hyperacusis well (median response 9/10). The effect sizes of treatment based on pre- and post-intervention comparison of scores were large.

A New article by Dr. Hashir Aazh in collaboration with researchers in University of Cambridge and Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland on the relationship between tinnitus, hearing loss and insomnia.

The relationship between hearing loss and insomnia for patients with tinnitus

International Journal of Audiology, January 2020

It is possible that tinnitus, hearing loss and insomnia are all linked to oxidative stress. If so, there should be a relationship between insomnia and hearing loss among patients with tinnitus. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between insomnia and hearing thresholds for patients with tinnitus. Seventy percent of patients experienced some form of insomnia. Thirty eight percent of patients had hearing loss. Regression models showed that the average hearing threshold across ears and frequencies (0.5-4 kHz), adjusted for age and gender, did not predict insomnia. The data do not support the idea that high levels of oxidative stress, which are associated with insomnia, have a strong influence on hearing loss among patients with tinnitus.

A New article by Dr. Hashir Aazh on Tinnitus

Does Tinnitus Get Worse as Hearing Loss Increases in Severity?

The Hearing Review Oct 22, 2019 | Tinnitus

Karl E. Strom the editor of The Hearing Review reports on the study Hashir Aazh, PhD, and Richard Salvi, PhD, published in Journal of American Academy of Audiology which shows only a weak association between tinnitus loudness and puretone average (PTA) thresholds. When patients ask an audiologist or hearing care professional if their tinnitus (ringing in the ears) is going to get worse as their hearing loss progresses, what answer do they usually receive? Most hearing care professionals will reassure the patient by telling them that, although it’s possible for this to occur, it’s generally not a problem they’ve observed in their practice. Now there is some clinical science to back up this answer. See this paper for more information.

A New article by Dr. Hashir Aazh (UK) and Professor Danesh (US) on Tinnitus distress and childhood adverse events

Parental Mental Illness May Be Associated with Suicide in Adults with Tinnitus

The Hearing Review Aug 1, 2019 | Tinnitus

Patients who suffer from ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and sensitivity to loud noise could be at heightened risk for suicidal and self-harm thoughts because of their childhood history of parental mental illness. A new study, published in the American Journal of Audiology, is reportedly the first to examine the relationship between parental mental illness such as anxiety, depression, and anger in childhood and the risk of suicidal and self-harm ideations in adults who suffer from these debilitating hearing disorders. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University (US), the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford (UK) , and the Lech-Mangfall-Hospital Agatharied in Hausham (Germany), inform clinicians who treat patients with tinnitus and hyperacusis to consider the patients’ parental mental health illnesses and screen for suicidal and self-harm ideations, especially in those who also suffer from depression. Results of the study revealed that among patients seeking help for their tinnitus and hyperacusis, poor parental mental health was associated with the risk of suicidal and self-harm ideations across the life span. The two variables associated with the risk of suicidal and self-harm ideations were patients’ childhood history of parental mental illness and their current depression level.

Audiology Today November/December 2019

Parental Separation and Parental Mental Health in Childhood: Coping with Tinnitus and Hyperacusis in Adulthood

In a trilogy of studies conducted by Dr. Aazh and an international network of researchers from University of Cambridge, Florida Atlantic University, and University of Regensburg, the relationships among parental mental health and parental separation in childhood and the psychological impact of tinnitus/hyperacusis on the individual in their adulthood have been explored.