ArticleThe Lancet regional health. Europe2022
Tinnitus prevalence in Europe: a multi-country cross-sectional population study.
Article in The Lancet regional health. Europe, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 99 papers.
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Who cites it
99 citing papers in PubMed.
- Notch-induced lateral inhibition compared to standard amplification lateral inhibition therapy for the treatment of chronic tinnitus: A randomised controlled trial.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Trial
- Performance of hybrid gain formula versus traditional fitting formulas in hearing aid fitting in tinnitus patients with hearing loss.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2024Trial
- Tinnitus in urban settings: insights into lifestyle and medical factors from the Hamburg City Health Study.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Article
- Psychological Correlates of Tinnitus Handicap: Associations with Personality Traits and Emotional Distress.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Myofascial pain and dysfunction as predictors of tinnitus in adults: a case-control study.Head & face medicine · 2026Article
- Prevalence and Epidemiological Determinants of Tinnitus in the Southern Region of Saudi Arabia: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study.Audiology research · 2026Article
- Causal relationship between tinnitus and 8 psychiatric phenotypes: a Mendelian randomization study.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026Article
- Tinnitus.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026Review
- Mobile Apps for Tinnitus: Systematic Search in App Stores and Review of Intervention Components and Behavior Change Techniques.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Article
- A Unified Theory for the Development of Tinnitus Perception and Hyperacusis Based on Associative Plasticity in the Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Tinnitus prevalence and characteristics in the United States: insights from a cross-sectional analysis of the 2019-2022 Apple Hearing Study cohort.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Observational
- Longitudinal analysis of the risk factors for onset and change in tinnitus in the Busselton Healthy Ageing Study.PloS one · 2026Article
- Mindfulness-based therapy for chronic tinnitus: a narrative review.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Article
- Digital Tinnitus Counseling in Clinical Practice: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.Audiology research · 2025Article
- [Tinnitus-current developments : Overview and summary of current state of knowledge in 2024].HNO · 2025Review
- Breathing Rate as a Marker for Noise-Induced Stress in Guinea Pigs.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Hearing Aid Amplification Schemes Adjusted to Tinnitus Pitch: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Audiology research · 2025Article
- Tinnitus management by improving resilience using exposure in virtual reality: a scoping review.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2025Article
39 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTinnitus prevalence studies report large variability across countries that might be due to inconsistent research methods. Our study aimed to report a single Pan-European estimate for tinnitus prevalence and investigate the effect of individual and country-level characteristics on prevalence. We explored the relationships of healthcare resource use and hearing difficulty with tinnitus symptoms.
methodsBetween 2017-2018, a cross-sectional European Tinnitus Survey (ETS) was conducted in 12 European Union nations (Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Spain), using a standardised set of tinnitus-related questions and response options in country-specific languages. We recruited 11,427 adults aged ≥18 years.
findingsPrevalence of any tinnitus was 14·7% (14·0% in men and 15·2% in women), ranging from 8·7% in Ireland to 28·3% in Bulgaria. Severe tinnitus was found in 1·2% participants (1·0% in men and 1·4% in women), ranging from 0·6% in Ireland to 4·2% in Romania. Tinnitus prevalence significantly increased with increasing age and worsening of hearing status. Healthcare resource use for tinnitus increased with increasing tinnitus symptom severity.
interpretationThis is the first multinational report of Pan-European tinnitus prevalence using standardised questions. The overall prevalence estimates refine previous findings, although widespread inter-country heterogeneity was noted. The results indicate that more than 1 in 7 adults in the EU have tinnitus. Extrapolating to the overall population, approximately 65 million adults in EU28 have tinnitus, 26 million have bothersome tinnitus and 4 million have severe tinnitus.
fundingNational Institute for Health Research, European Union's Horizon 2020, Medical Research Council, and GENDER-Net Co-Plus Fund.
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