Dataset Information

Occupation and the risk of bothersome tinnitus: results from a prospective cohort study (HUNT).

ABSTRACT: Objectives Estimates of occupation-specific tinnitus prevalence may help identify high-risk occupations where interventions are warranted. The authors studied the effect of occupation on prevalence of bothersome tinnitus and estimated the attributable fraction due to occupation. The authors also studied how much of the effect remained after adjusting for noise exposure, education income, hearing thresholds and other risk factors. Design A prospective cohort study. Setting A health survey of the Nord-Trøndelag county of Norway. Participants A sample of the general adult population (n=49?948). Primary outcome measure The primary outcome measure is bothersome tinnitus. Results Occupation had a marked effect on tinnitus prevalence. The effect of occupation on tinnitus was reduced in men by controlling for self-reported occupational noise exposure and in women by controlling for education and income. Adding hearing loss as a predictor increased the effect of occupation somewhat. In men, age-adjusted prevalence ratios of tinnitus ranged from 1.5 (workshop mechanics) to 2.1 (crane and hoist operators) in the 10 occupations with highest tinnitus prevalence. In women, the most important contribution to the tinnitus prevalence was from the large group of occupationally inactive persons, with a prevalence ratio of 1.5. Conclusion This study found a moderate association between occupation and bothersome tinnitus.

SUBMITTER: Engdahl B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3269045 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Occupation and the risk of bothersome tinnitus: results from a prospective cohort study (HUNT).

Engdahl Bo B Krog Norun Hjertager NH Kvestad Ellen E Hoffman Howard J HJ Tambs Kristian K

BMJ open 20120121 1

Objectives Estimates of occupation-specific tinnitus prevalence may help identify high-risk occupations where interventions are warranted. The authors studied the effect of occupation on prevalence of bothersome tinnitus and estimated the attributable fraction due to occupation. The authors also studied how much of the effect remained after adjusting for noise exposure, education income, hearing thresholds and other risk factors. Design A prospective cohort study. Setting A health survey of th ...[more]

PMID: 22267709

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Project description:ObjectiveThis study aims to identify gender-specific risk factors associated with the presence of bothersome tinnitus (compared with non-bothersome tinnitus), including sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, tinnitus-associated phenomena (hearing loss, traumatic experiences, sleep disturbances), and physical as well as mental comorbidities.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study using survey data from the Swedish LifeGene cohort containing information on self-reported tinnitus (N = 7615). We (1) analyzed risk factor and comorbidity frequencies, (2) computed multivariate logistic regression models to identify predictors of bothersome tinnitus within both genders, and (3) moderated logistic regression models to compare effects between genders.Results(1) The majority of factors that differed in frequencies between bothersome and non-bothersome tinnitus were equal for both genders. Women with bothersome tinnitus specifically reported higher rates of cardiovascular disease, thyroid disease, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, and burnout, and men with bothersome tinnitus reported higher rates of alcohol consumption, Ménière's disease, anxiety syndrome, and panic (compared with non-bothersome tinnitus, respectively). (2) Across both genders, multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed significant associations between bothersome tinnitus and age, reduced hearing ability, hearing-related difficulties in social situations, and reduced sleep quality. In women, bothersome tinnitus was specifically associated with cardiovascular disease and epilepsy; in men, with lower education levels and anxiety syndrome. (3) Moderated logistic regression analyses revealed that the effects of low education and anxiety syndrome were present in men, but not in women, whereas the effects of age, reduced hearing ability and related difficulties, cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, and burnout were not gender specific.ConclusionIrrespective of gender, bothersome tinnitus is associated with higher age, reduced hearing ability, hearing-related difficulties, cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, and burnout. Gender-specific effects comprise low levels of education and the presence of anxiety syndrome for men. These findings need to be interpreted with caution, yet they suggest the presence of gender-specific biopsychosocial influences in the emergence or maintenance of bothersome tinnitus. Future studies ought to investigate the underlying mechanisms of the observed relationships.

Project description:Identification of blood biomarkers that prospectively predict progression of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection to tuberculosis disease might lead to interventions that combat the tuberculosis epidemic. We aimed to assess whether global gene expression measured in whole blood of healthy people allowed identification of prospective signatures of risk of active tuberculosis disease. RESULTS:Between July 6, 2005, and April 23, 2007, we enrolled 6363 from the ACS study and 4466 from independent South African and Gambian cohorts. 46 progressors and 107 matched controls were identified in the ACS cohort. A 16 gene signature of risk was identified. The signature predicted tuberculosis progression with a sensitivity of 66Â·1% (95% CI 63Â·2â68Â·9) and a specificity of 80Â·6% (79Â·2â82Â·0) in the 12 months preceding tuberculosis diagnosis. The risk signature was validated in an untouched group of adolescents (p=0Â·018 for RNA sequencing and p=0Â·0095 for qRT-PCR) and in the independent South African and Gambian cohorts (p values <0Â·0001 by qRT-PCR) with a sensitivity of 53Â·7% (42Â·6â64Â·3) and a specificity of 82Â·8% (76Â·7â86) in 12 months preceding tuberculosis. Interpretation: The whole blood tuberculosis risk signature prospectively identified people at risk of developing active tuberculosis, opening the possibility for targeted intervention to prevent the disease. In this prospective cohort study, we followed up healthy, South African adolescents aged 12â18 years from the adolescent cohort study (ACS) who were infected with M tuberculosis for 2 years. We collected blood samples from study participants every 6 months and monitored the adolescents for progression to tuberculosis disease. A prospective signature of risk was derived from whole blood RNA sequencing data by comparing participants who developed active tuberculosis disease (progressors) with those who remained healthy (matched controls). After adaptation to multiplex qRT-PCR, the signature was used to predict tuberculosis disease in untouched adolescent samples and in samples from independent cohorts of South African and Gambian adult progressors and controls. Participants of the independent cohorts were household contacts of adults with active pulmonary tuberculosis disease.

Project description:ImportanceIndividuals with tinnitus have poorer working memory, slower processing speeds and reaction times, and deficiencies in selective attention, all of which interfere with readiness and performance. Brain Fitness Program-Tinnitus (BFP-T) is a cognitive training program specially designed to exploit neuroplasticity for preservation and expansion of cognitive health in adults with tinnitus.ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of the BFP-T on tinnitus.Design, setting, and participantsThis open-label, intention-to-treat randomized clinical trial prescreened 191 patients with tinnitus and 64 healthy controls (HCs) from June 1, 2012, through October 31, 2013. Participants were 40 adults with bothersome tinnitus for more than 6 months and 20 age-matched HCs. Patients with tinnitus were randomized to a BFP-T or non-BFP-T control group. The BFP-T was completed online, and assessments were completed at Washington University School of Medicine.InterventionsParticipants in the intervention group were required to complete the BFP-T online 1 hour per day 5 days per week for 8 weeks. Tinnitus assessment, neuroimaging, and cognitive testing were completed at baseline and 8 weeks later. The HCs underwent neuroimaging and cognitive assessments.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome measure was the change in Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) score. Behavioral measures, neuroimaging, and cognitive tests were performed before and after the intervention.ResultsA total of 40 patients with tinnitus and 20 HCs participated in the study (median [range] age, 56 [35-64] years in the BFP-T group, 52 [24-64] years in the non-BFP-T group, and 50 [30-64] years in the HC group; 13 [65%] in the BFP-T group, 14 [70%] in the non-BFP-T group, and 13 [65%] in the HC group were males; and 16 [80%] in the BFP-T group, 16 [80%] in the non-BFP-T group, and 15 [75%] in the HC group were white). There was a reduction in the THI score in the BFP-T group (median, 7; range, -16 to 64) and non-BFP-T group (median, 11; range, -6 to 26), but this reduction was not significantly different between the 2 groups (median difference, 0; 95% CI, -10 to 8). There was no difference in cognitive test scores and other behavioral measures. There was a significant difference between baseline and follow-up in functional connectivity in cognitive control regions in the BFP-T group but not in HCs or individuals with untreated tinnitus. Of the 20 patients in the BFP-T group, 10 (50%) self-reported improvement attributable to the intervention, and 6 (30%) reported to be much improved in the domains of tinnitus, memory, attention, and concentration.Conclusions and relevanceThese findings suggest that the computer-based cognitive training program is associated with self-reported changes in attention, memory, and perception of tinnitus. A possible mechanistic explanation for these changes could be neuroplastic changes in key brain systems involved in cognitive control. Cognitive training programs might have a role in the future treatment of patients with tinnitus.Trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01458821.

Dataset Information

Occupation and the risk of bothersome tinnitus: results from a prospective cohort study (HUNT).

Publications

Occupation and the risk of bothersome tinnitus: results from a prospective cohort study (HUNT).

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