COMPARABILITY OF CLINICAL AND AUDIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN PATIENTS WITH TINNITUS WHEN FORMING GROUPS FOR A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TREATMENT EFFECTIVENESS

Background. Tinnitus, defined as the perception of sound without an external acoustic source, may present as either continuous or intermittent. Objective. To conduct a comparative analysis of the baseline clinical and audiological characteristics of patients with tinnitus, included in a study evaluating the effectiveness of a new treatment method using a mobile application, in order to confirm the comparability of groups prior to the initiation of therapeutic intervention. Material and methods. A total of 202 patients diagnosed with H93.1 (Subjective Tinnitus) were included in the analysis. All patients underwent clinical evaluation and subsequent management at the Outpatient Department of the Grodno University Clinic. The study cohort was divided into two groups. Results. In both the experimental and control groups, persistent tinnitus was predominant, reported by 144 (97.3%) patients and 52 (96.3%) patients, respectively. The tinnitus most commonly presented as a bilateral “ringing” sensation. The mean duration of tinnitus was 4.8 ± 5.3 years in the experimental group and 4.3 ± 6.1 years in the control group. Conclusion. Tinnitus audiometrically characterized as a narrow-band, high-frequency noise, the intensity of which rarely exceeded 5–10 dB above the hearing threshold.