25 September 2015

Tinnitus and hearing loss “conspire together” to negatively impact quality of life

A new report - “Conspiring Together: tinnitus and hearing loss” - has been commissioned by the British Tinnitus Associationto investigate people’s experiences of different degrees of hearing loss and tinnitus.

Research carried out by the Ear Foundation presents the views of the 1432 participants on what it is like to live with tinnitus and hearing loss, evaluates the support they received and offers their hopes and aspirations for the future. The findings highlight that tinnitus and hearing loss have a major impact on a person’s employment, relationships, social life and emotional wellbeing.

• Over half of those surveyed, tinnitus and hearing loss had a negative effect on stress levels, being able to relate to others, concentration and attention and sleep
• People with severe/profound hearing loss had the greatest impact from tinnitus, but were less likely to receive help and more likely to be discharged.
• A feeling of desperation was expressed by many, including a number of comments on suicidal thoughts.

David Stockdale, Chief Executive of the British Tinnitus Association said: “This report sets a serious challenge to the tinnitus community and the wider health and social care system to purposefully consider the impact of tinnitus and hearing loss as they ‘conspire together.’ In order to improve the quality of life of our 1432 respondents and the many more in the wider community, we all need to face and address these challenges and urgently act upon the recommendations in this report.”

Read the report in full: tinnitus.org.uk/tef