Objective: Tinnitus affects both adults and children. Children rarely complain spontaneously of tinnitus, and their parents are not aware of the condition. The prevalence of tinnitus in children differs considerably between studies, and large studies are needed to reliably estimate how many children experience tinnitus symptoms. The goal of the study was to estimate the prevalence of tinnitus in a large sample of schoolchildren.
Design: This study was population-based, epidemiological research, conducted in the general, paediatric population of school-age children in Warsaw, Poland. Pure-tone audiometric testing was done, and hearing thresholds were determined from 0.5 to 8 kHz. Both the children and parents answered questions about the presence of tinnitus in the child.
Study sample: Results from 43,064 children aged 11 to 13 years old, as well as their parents, were collected.
Results: The study showed that tinnitus affected 3.1% of the children, but it was significantly more frequent (9%) in children with hearing loss. We found that 1.4% of the parents were aware of the presence of tinnitus in their children.
Conclusions: Children should be routinely asked whether they experience tinnitus and if so, they should be included in the thorough assessment and management of the condition.
Keywords: Tinnitus; children; epidemiology; prevalence.