Between November 2019 and November 2022, the University of Michigan and Apple Inc. collaborated by surveying over 160,000 iPhone users in order to gain insights into contemporary tinnitus prevalence rates and symptom characteristics. Participants answered survey questions and completed app-based assessments to characterize their experience of tinnitus. This research aims to improve the understanding of tinnitus characteristics and inform future research on potential treatments. Highlights of the preliminary results are the following:
- Roughly 15 % of participants have experienced tinnitus daily. The prevalence of daily tinnitus was reported as increasing with age and more common in males.
- Tinnitus significantly affects quality of life, with common management methods including noise machines, nature sounds, and meditation, while cognitive and behavioural therapy is less frequently used (only 2.01% of participants had received CBT).
- Most participants experience brief episodes, with older adults reporting more constant tinnitus. Tinnitus is often described as a pure tone or white noise, with detailed app-based sound tests helping to characterize these experiences.
This results are interesting as they, potentially, indicate that the majority of individuals with bothersome tinnitus self-manage their symptoms using generic noise machines, sound enrichment apps and meditation, which may be due to the historic dearth of tinnitus therapy providers. The Tinnitus Clinic Ltd. specialises in the provision of evidence-based therapies and intervention options for bothersome tinnitus and hyperacusis.
Study results can be reviewed here: https://sph.umich.edu/news/2024posts/apple-hearing-study-reveals-prevalence-of-tinnitus.html
