Tinnitus Is a Bigger Concern Than Previously Thought. Should You Be Asking About It Proactively?

Thinking in the abstract about which complaints occur most frequently in your practice, it’s unlikely that tinnitus would come to mind as readily as, say, migraine or pain. New research published by JAMA Network suggests maybe it should, though. After a systemic review of published research around the world, the authors report an overall global prevalence of 14.4%, with the likelihood of experiencing tinnitus increasing with age. They propose that their findings may be surprising partly due to semantics; while patients may report various ear-related symptoms such as ringing, clicking, pulsations, or other noises, tinnitus (which would encompass all of those terms) may be unlikely to be mentioned specifically. They further suggested that their estimate of prevalence puts tinnitus on par with migraine, low back pain, and neck pain—all relatively common complaints in the urgent care center.