The medical term “tinnitus” describes a phantom ringing, roaring, hissing, whistling, buzzing, humming or other sounds in the ear that has no external source. You may hear it after noisy events like attending a concert or in quiet environments like Blue Willow Bookshop on Memorial Drive.
If you experience occasional bouts of tinnitus in one ear, you have what is called sudden, brief, unilateral, tapering tinnitus (SBUTT). In this post, we review more about this condition.
About the Research
There was a 2011 study on SBUTT published in the journal Otology & Neurotology. Researchers working on this project were from the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery in The Edith Wolfson Medical Center at Tel Aviv University Sackler School of Medicine in Holon, Israel; Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada; and Eaton Peabody Laboratory at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Study Methodology
The study consisted of two parts, referred to as Study I and Study II.
As part of Study I, researchers determined the effect of brief but intense jaw, neck and extremity muscle contraction on auditory experience. Participants sat in a room playing low, ambient noise and were asked, “Do you ever have a brief ringing in one ear, lasting a minute or less?”
As part of Study II, researchers focused on participants who had experienced SBUTT previously. The participants were asked to keep a log of their symptoms over four months.
Study Results
Study I hearing tests revealed 20% of participants had existing tinnitus, 76% percent recalled having at least one episode of SBUTT in their lives and 24% had no recollection of experiencing SBUTT. Out of the subjects with existing tinnitus, 75% had experienced SBUTT, and out of those with no ongoing tinnitus, 78% had experienced SBUTT.
Study II hearing tests revealed that 20% had existing tinnitus. Those with existing tinnitus had double the instances of SBUTT than those without existing tinnitus over the four-month period.
Study Discussion
This study reveals that most of those who have chronic tinnitus have more instances of SBUTT, which indicates a high rate of SBUTT may be a risk factor for chronic tinnitus.
For more information about this condition or to schedule an appointment with a hearing expert, call Hearing Systems today.