Hearing Aids Combined with Educational Counseling versus Educational Counseling Alone for Tinnitus Treatment in Patients with Hearing Loss: A Longitudinal Follow-Up Study

Purpose: The effect of hearing aids (HAs) and educational counseling (EC) or their combination on tinnitus is ambiguous. This study aimed to investigate whether the combined use of HAs and EC is more effective than EC alone on tinnitus relief. Method: A total of 72 adults with chronic, bothersome tinnitus and coexisting sensorineural hearing loss completed at least 1-month and 3-month follow-up. After receiving EC and HA prescriptions, 21 participants selected to purchase HAs (i.e., the HA + EC group), whereas the remaining 51 refused to use HAs despite recommendations (i.e., the EC group). Tinnitus severity was measured by Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Tinnitus Evaluation Questionnaire (TEQ), and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for loudness. The primary outcome measure was THI, and tinnitus relief was defined as a 20-point or more reduction in THI. A generalized linear mixed model was used to confirm that the heterogeneity in baseline characteristics between groups did not interfere with the results. Results: The THI, TEQ, and VAS scores decreased significantly after treatments, and both groups yielded a similar trend of reduction. There were no significant differences in the incidence of tinnitus relief and time-to-event curves between the two groups. In addition, the length of follow-up did not affect treatment effectiveness. Conclusion: There was insufficient evidence to support the superiority of the combined use of HA and EC for tinnitus over EC with no device.