2Van Training and Research State Hospital, Neurology Clinic, VAN
3Tepecik Training and Research State Hospital, Neurology Clinic, Ä°ZMÄ°R Introduction: Our main objective in this study was to evaluate hearing impairment and the severity of tinnitus in patients with Parkinson's disease as well as to compare the results with healthy controls.
Materials and Methods: This study involved 43 patients with Parkinson's disease and a control group of 45 healthy age- and sex-matched individuals. Audiological examination was conducted using pure-tone audiometer and tinnitus severity was assessed by tinnitus severity index. Air conduction thresholds and tinnitus severity index scores were compared statistically.
Results: Compared with the control group, the Parkinson's disease group had significantly elevated pure-tone audiometer thresholds in 6000 and 8000 Hz, but there were no significant differences at other frequencies. The tinnitus severity index scores were significantly higher in the Parkinson's disease group than the control group (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The increased prevalence of hearing loss at higher frequencies and the greater severity of tinnitus among patients with Parkinson's disease were the most notable findings. We recommend that these patients be monitored more closely for auditory dysfunction, and appropriate therapy should be provided. Our results show that auditory dysfunction may be considered a non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease.
Keywords : Hearing Loss; Tinnitus; Parkinson Disease; Presbycusis