The extent and levels of tinnitus in children of central Ankara

SummaryObjectiveThe objective of this study is to determine the presence and prevalence of tinnitus among primary school and junior high school students in central Ankara.MethodsIn the first stage of the study, all students were tested for the presence of tinnitus by answering a comprehensive questionnaire. The students who had previous ear operations were excluded from the rest of the study. The initial survey/tests yielded presence of tinnitus, frequency of occurrence, characteristics, associated symptoms and the age groups.Results15.1% of the children reported to have tinnitus. No significant difference was found between gender (female 45.5%, male 54.4%) and ears (right 25.3%, left 25.5%). The age group that suffered most from tinnitus is 14 years old (20.8%), 25 children had positive family history (16.2%), 44 children had headaches as the most common accompanying symptom (28.6%), 64 of them had tiredness as the predisposing factor (41.6%) and 52 of them have defined worsening of tinnitus during mornings (33.8%). The characteristics of tinnitus were identified as high pitch (n = 125, 81.2%), soft loudness (n = 124, 80.5%) and ringing (n = 61, 39.6%).ConclusionsThe study produced much needed data to shed light onto understanding levels and characteristics of tinnitus in school children in Turkey. The data obtained was carefully analyzed and found to be comparative to international studies