BTA Tinnitus Awareness Week 2012

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Tinnitus Awareness Week 2012 will run from 6-12 February and the theme is 'Raising Awareness in Primary Care.'

We would like to ensure GPs are more aware of tinnitus and have a better understanding of the services available in secondary care, so as part of Tinnitus Awareness Week 2012 the BTA are encouraging audiology departments to:

• Put on a meeting or seminar for GPs to inform about the services available at their hospital
• Go out to GPs meetings to promote their hospital’s tinnitus service

The second and equally important part of Awareness Week will be encouraging BTA members, and indeed anyone with tinnitus or an interest in the condition, to take a copy or copies of our Ten Top Tinnitus Tips for GPsto their local surgery. This list of informative, useful information should help any GP advise and guide a tinnitus patient and help them start to manage the condition in a positive way.

If you would like to get involved in raising awareness of tinnitus, please contact emily@tinnitus.org.uk. You can download our information sheets from this website and if you would be able to hold an event to raise awareness or take copies of the Ten Top Tinnitus Tips for GPs to your local surgery we would love to hear more. If you would like any further information please don't hesitate to get in touch.

The Ten Top Tinnitus Tips for GPs is available to download here.

The new Tinnitus Awareness Week logo is also available to download if you would like to use it to publicise the week, it can be found on the right hand side of this page.

 

Ten Top Tinnitus Tips For GPs


1 At any point in time around 10% of the population experience tinnitus - both sexes are equally affected and although tinnitus is more common in the elderly it can occur at any age, including childhood. The perceived sound can have virtually any quality – ringing, whistling and buzzing are common – but more complex sounds can also be described.

2 Most tinnitus is mild - in fact it is relatively rare for it to develop into a chronic problem of life-altering severity. The natural history of tinnitus in most patients is of an acute phase of distress when the problem begins, followed by improvement over time. But for a minority of patients the distress is ongoing and very significant, and they will require specialist support.

3 Tinnitus is more common in people with hearing loss - tinnitus prevalence is greater among people with hearing impairment but the severity of the tinnitus correlates poorly with the degree of hearing loss. It is also quite possible to have tinnitus with a completely normal pure tone audiogram.

4 Tinnitus can be associated with a blocked sensation - for reasons that are not clear tinnitus and sensorineural hearing loss can give rise to a blocked feeling in the ears despite normal middle ear pressure and eardrum mobility. Otoscopy and, if available, tympanometry can exclude Eustachian tube dysfunction. Decongestants and antibiotics are rarely helpful.

5 Giving a negative prognosis is actively harmful - it is all too common to hear that patients have been told nothing can be done about tinnitus. Such negative statements are not only unhelpful but also tend to focus the patient’s attention on their tinnitus and exacerbate the distress. A positive attitude is generally helpful and there are many constructive statements that can be made about tinnitus, such as: most tinnitus lessens or disappears with time; most tinnitus is mild; tinnitus is not a precursor of hearing loss.

6 Enriching the sound environment is helpful - useful sources of sound to reduce the starkness of tinnitus include quiet uneventful music, a fan or a water feature. There are inexpensive devices that produce environmental sounds, and these are particularly useful at bedtime. They can be purchased online from the British Tinnitus Association at www.tinnitus.org.uk or by calling 0800 018 0527

7 Hearing aids are helpful - straining to listen causes increased central auditory gain and this increased sensitivity can allow tinnitus to emerge or, if already present, to worsen. Correcting any associated hearing loss reduces this central auditory gain and thereby reduces the level of the tinnitus. Hearing aids are useful even if the hearing loss is relatively mild and an aid would not normally be considered. Recent Department of Health guidelines have emphasised the value of audiometry in a tinnitus consultation, and this is the definitive basis for decisions about hearing aid candidacy. If in doubt, refer for an audiological opinion. In our view, all people who describe tinnitus deserve an audiological assessment. Decisions on when to start using a hearing aid and what sort to use are up to the individual patient and audiologist.

8 Underlying pathology is rare, but be vigilant - in many cases tinnitus is due to heightened awareness of spontaneous electrical activity in the auditory system that is normally not perceived. It can however be a symptom of treatable and significant otological pathology, such as a vestibular schwannoma or otosclerosis. One should be especially vigilant if the tinnitus is unilateral, or if it has a pulsatile quality.

9 There is no direct role for drugs – although they can be used to treat associated symptoms such as vertigo, insomnia, anxiety or depression. There is also no conventional or complementary medication that has been shown to have specific tinnitus ameliorating qualities and there is anecdotal suggestion that repeatedly trying unsuccessful therapies worsens tinnitus.

10 Self-help is often effective - the British Tinnitus Association provides excellent information on tinnitus and common sense advice on managing symptoms. It runs a telephone helpline 0800 018 0527 as well as offering advice through its website www.tinnitus.org.uk