Does Tinnitus Get Worse As Hearing Loss Increases In Severity?

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.