Higher prevalence and increased severity of sleep-disordered breathing in male patients with chronic tinnitus: our experience with 173 cases

Tinnitus and sleep are closely related. One of the most important aspects of tinnitus is its association with sleep disturbance. According to the literature, up to 71% of patients with tinnitus report sleep problems (1); furthermore, insomnia is also associated with more distressing tinnitus (2). Conversely, sleep disturbance was proposed as one of the causes of chronic tinnitus (3). The relationship of tinnitus with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSAS) has rarely been mentioned (4). In a recent population-based case-control study, the risk of tinnitus was found to increase 1.36 times in patients with OSAS. However, no detailed grading or severity of SDB (or OSAS) and tinnitus was provided. The purpose of this study was to investigate the exact relationship between tinnitus and SDB and delineate the incidence and severity of SDB in patients with chronic tinnitus; moreover, our study reports the preliminary outcome of tinnitus after intervention with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in selected patients with moderate to severe SDB.

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