The Effect Of Digital And Analog Hearing Aids In The Management Of Tinnitus Noise Effect - A Comparative Study

Research Article
Porika Rajendra Kumar and Balakrishnan D
DOI: 
http://dx.doi.org/10.24327/ijrsr.2018.0903.1853
Subject: 
science
KeyWords: 
Tinnitus Noise, Hearing Aid, Noise Exposure, Health, THI, Hearing Loss
Abstract: 

The effect of Tinnitus noise in a individuals ear is a very cumbersome. It affects in patients suffering from hearing loss. Tinnitus a squeaky or flat sound which occurs internally without any external stimulation or any external sound exposure. It occurs after a sudden or a continuous exposure to a very high intensity sound, due to ototoxicity, Noise exposure and aging. There are various treatments for Tinnitus to improve their quality of life. One of them is being use of amplification devices. Hearing aids were used both for masking and hearing. This study is to compare which type of hearing aid (Digital or Analog) gives a better performance in reducing tinnitus respectively. A total of 40 participants within the age range of 16-75 years have been considered, all of them had undergone the routine audiological procedure and was diagnosed across mild-severe sensori-neural hearing loss. 20 participants have been prescribed with digital hearing aids while 20 have been prescribed with analog hearing aids. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) had been administered. Analysis on users of before hearing aid application and after use of hearing aid for 6 months and changes were done. Results shown significant difference when compared across pre and post for both the groups respectively and No significant difference when compared across the two populations.