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02/04/2007

Tinnitus statistics revealed

It has been revealed that a massive 25% of tinnitus sufferers first thought that the noises they could hear were coming from their surroundings.

The eye-opening research was carried out by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People in conjunction with the British Tinnitus Association and involved questioning more than 1,000 people who have been diagnosed with the condition.

The survey discovered that one in four sufferers of tinnitus first thought the irritating noise they were hearing was the result of traffic, noisy neighbours or faulty household appliances. A follow-up investigation also revealed that environmental health services throughout the UK get over 2,000 calls a year from people complaining about noise that is actually their tinnitus.

There is a common misconception that tinnitus consists of a ringing in the ears but it can actually take many different forms. It is for this reason that it is often easily confused with environmental noises.

According to a BBC report, one of those that found himself in such a situation was a 32-year-old from Southampton who said, "Before I realised the high-pitched whirring sound I could hear was tinnitus, I spent a couple of months thinking it was my new boiler making the noise.

"It was only one evening when I asked my partner whether she could hear the noise, and she replied that she couldn't hear anything, that I realised it might be tinnitus.

"I always thought tinnitus was a ringing in the ears, and this didn't sound like a ringing noise at all, more of a whirring."

This man from Hampshire is by no means the only person to suffer in such a way and the British Tinnitus Association suggest that the best way to discover if someone really does have the hearing problem is to go to a very quiet place and see if the noise continues.

There is currently no cure for tinnitus and many people find themselves with the problem because of exposure to noise whilst at work. If this is the case, an industrial deafness compensation claim could be lodged with a personal injury solicitor.

Many celebrities have also suffered from tinnitus and it is said that William Shatner, Barbara Streisand, Pete Townshend and Steve Martin are plagued by it.

Dr John Low from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, commented on the hearing problem and said, "Tinnitus can be extremely distressing for many people and can have a profound impact on their lives.

Discussing the latest research, he added, "These survey results reveal that thousands of people are potentially unaware of tinnitus, meaning they could be missing out on vital support to help them manage the condition."

To find out more information about tinnitus, hearing loss or industrial deafness, go to www.rnid.org.uk or www.tinnitus.org.uk.