Authors: Merin Benny¹; Archana Gundmi¹; Hari Prakash P¹
¹Manipal Academy of Higher Education
Background: The reported prevalence of tinnitus in children varies widely (4.7% to 46%) due to methodological differences. In India, the epidemiology and clinical profile of tinnitus among school-going adolescents remain poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of tinnitus in this population.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two schools between October 2025 and January 2026. From 1,824 adolescents (aged 10–17) screened, 150 identified with tinnitus underwent detailed case histories, otoscopy, pure-tone audiometry, and the Children’s Tinnitus Questionnaire (CTQ). Non-parametric tests were used for statistical analysis due to the non-normal distribution of the data.
Results: The prevalence of tinnitus was 8.22%. All participants had normal hearing sensitivity (mean PTA = 18.4 dB HL). The average CTQ score was 8.09. Ringing was the most common sound (28%), often triggered by loud noise. Intermittent tinnitus resulted in significantly higher CTQ scores than occasional tinnitus (p = 0.0009). Perceived loudness and unpleasantness also correlated with higher distress (p = 0.014). No significant differences were found related to age, gender, or hearing thresholds.
Conclusion: Tinnitus affects approximately 1 in 12 adolescents with normal hearing. Severity is driven by frequency of occurrence and perceived loudness rather than demographic factors or peripheral hearing levels. These findings highlight the need for incorporating systematic tinnitus screening into adolescent health and hearing conservation programs.
