Frequency-Specific Loudness Discomfort Levels and Speech Discrimination in Noise in Patients with Chronic Tinnitus Kronik Tinnituslu Hastaların Frekansa Özgü Rahatsız Edici Ses Seviyeleri ve Gürültüde Konuşmayı Ayırt Etme Becerileri

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Ural T., ŞAHİN B. N., Öz I.

Journal of Ear Nose Throat and Head Neck Surgery, cilt.33, sa.4, ss.149-158, 2025 (Scopus, TRDizin)

Özet

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the ability to discriminate speech in noise with frequency-specific loudness discomfort levels (LDL) in patients with chronic tinnitus and to show that noise affects speech perception. Material and Methods: The significance of the difference between the 2 study groups and correlation analysis was examined. Pure tone audiometry, speech discrimination (SD) test, LDL, SD in noise test (SDNT), Tinnitus Disability Questionnaire, and Weinstein Noise Sensitivity Scale (WNSS) were applied to each participant. Study sample: 40 patients with chronic tinnitus, aged between 40-55 years, and 40 healthy individuals without tinnitus complaints. Results: When the tinnitus group and the healthy control group were compared, statistically significant differences were found in the mean LDL and WNSS scores for both the right and left ears (p<0.001). Similarly, the mean SDNT scores for the right and left ears also differed significantly between the 2 groups (p<0.05). In addition, a significant positive correlation was observed between SDNT scores and SD scores (p<0.001), while a significant negative correlation was found between SDNT and WNSS scores (p=0.01). Conclusion: The findings show that patients with chronic tinnitus have decreased tolerance to sound, and their speech discrimination in noise is impaired.