Prevalence of Musical Hallucinations in Patients Referred for Audiometric Testing

Objective To assess the prevalence of musical hallucinations in patients referred for audiometric testing and to analyze associations with age, sex, degree of hearing loss, asymmetrical hearing loss, and tinnitus. Methods Patients referred for audiometric testing underwent a semi-structured interview on tinnitus and musical hallucinations. Results Out of 194 patients, most of whom had mild to moderate hearing loss, seven (3.6%) had musical hallucinations. Significant associations were found with female sex and predominant left-sided hearing impairment, but not with age, severity of hearing loss, or tinnitus. Conclusion This study offers no evidence that age is a risk factor. Musical hallucinations seem to be prevalent in women with predominant left-sided hearing impairment.