Tinnitus, hearing loss and inflammatory processes in an older Portuguese population.

Summary

This exploratory human study measured a panel of blood inflammatory markers in 114 older Portuguese adults (aged 55-75) with and without age-related hearing loss and tinnitus. Several markers tracked tinnitus: interleukin-10 (IL-10) was significantly lower in people with tinnitus and fell further with longer tinnitus duration, IL-1α was higher in those with tonal tinnitus, and IL-2 was lower in those reporting residual inhibition. The authors conclude that inflammatory mechanisms are involved in tinnitus as well as in hearing loss, while noting the associations are correlational and some markers (including TNF-α) were sensitive to the time of sampling.

Key findings

• Measured blood inflammatory markers in 114 older adults with and without tinnitus and hearing loss.
• IL-10 was significantly lower in people with tinnitus and decreased with longer tinnitus duration.
• IL-1α was higher in tonal tinnitus; IL-2 was lower in those reporting residual inhibition.
• Supports an inflammatory component to tinnitus in humans, though the associations are correlational and marker-dependent.