Comparing tinnitus, pain, psychosocial and cognitive factors between patients with tinnitus and pain: A systematic review

Kayleigh De Meulemeester; Mira Meeus; Ingeborg Dhooge; Anja Taevernier; Mylène Van Elslander; Barbara Cagnie; Dorine Lenoir; Hannah Keppler

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111201

Comparing tinnitus, pain, psychosocial and cognitive factors between patients with tinnitus and pain: A systematic review

J Psychosom Res. 2023 May:168:111201. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111201. Epub 2023 Feb 17.

Authors

Kayleigh De Meulemeester¹, Mira Meeus², Ingeborg Dhooge³, Anja Taevernier⁴, Mylène Van Elslander⁴, Barbara Cagnie⁵, Dorine Lenoir⁶, Hannah Keppler⁷

Affiliations

¹ Spine, Head and Pain Research Unit Ghent, Ghent University, Belgium; Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium; Pain in Motion International Research Group, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Kayleigh.demeulemeester@ugent.be.
² Spine, Head and Pain Research Unit Ghent, Ghent University, Belgium; Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium; Pain in Motion International Research Group, Ghent, Belgium; MOVANT Research group, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
³ Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Head and Skin, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
⁴ Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium.
⁵ Spine, Head and Pain Research Unit Ghent, Ghent University, Belgium; Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium.
⁶ Spine, Head and Pain Research Unit Ghent, Ghent University, Belgium; Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium; Pain in Motion International Research Group, Ghent, Belgium.
⁷ Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium; Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

PMID: 36863293
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111201

Abstract

Objective: Tinnitus is a multifactorial symptom, which shows similarities with the involved mechanisms in chronic pain. The aim of this systematic review is to provide an overview of studies comparing patients with only tinnitus to patients with pain (headache, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain or neck pain) with or without tinnitus, regarding tinnitus-related, pain-related, psychosocial and cognitive factors.

Methods: This systematic review was written following the PRISMA guidelines. To identify relevant articles, PubMed, Web of Science and Embase databases were searched. The risk of bias was rated using the Newcastle Ottawa scale for case-control studies.

Results: Ten articles were included in the qualitative analysis. The risk of bias ranged from low to moderate. Low to moderate evidence shows that patients with tinnitus experience higher mean symptom intensity, but lower psychosocial and cognitive distress, compared to patients with pain. Inconsistent results were found for tinnitus-related factors. Low to moderate evidence points to a higher severity of hyperacusis and psychosocial distress in patients with both pain and tinnitus, compared to patients with tinnitus only, as well as for positive associations between tinnitus-related factors and the presence or intensity of pain.

Conclusion: This systematic review shows that psychosocial dysfunctions are more clearly present in patients with pain only, compared to patients with tinnitus only and the co-occurrence of tinnitus and pain increases psychosocial distress as well as hyperacusis severity. Some positive associations were identified between tinnitus-related and pain-related factors.

Keywords: Pain; Psychosocial factors; Systematic review; Tinnitus.

Publication types

Systematic Review
Review

MeSH terms

Cognition
Headache
Humans
Hyperacusis
Neck Pain
Tinnitus* / complications