Prevalence of Somatosensory Tinnitus in Veterans with Tinnitus

Objectives: The primary objective was to estimate the prevalence of somatosensory tinnitus (ST) among Veterans with tinnitus. Design: Three hundred four Veterans with tinnitus were phone screened for ST by performing and reporting on a series of head/neck/jaw maneuvers. A random sample of 12 individuals who screened positive and five who screened negative attended an in-person visit to confirm the presence/absence of ST. Results: Of the 304 Veterans, 12 could not complete the screening maneuvers, 205 screened positive, and 87 screened negative. A Bayesian estimator that combines phone screening and in-person exam results establishes the prevalence of ST among Veterans with tinnitus at 56% with a 90% Bayesian confidence interval of 45% to 65%. Conclusions: At least half of Veterans with tinnitus have ST, suggesting that a sizable at-need population exists. Treatment addressing the biomechanical component has the potential to improve tinnitus symptoms.