Associations Between Tinnitus and Systemic Disease in Adolescents: Implications of Vitamin D Deficiency and Anaemia

ABSTRACT Objectives Tinnitus is one of the irritating symptoms that should be addressed in adolescents. Since tinnitus affects mental health, it is important to treat it. However, identifying the cause of tinnitus is very challenging and the treatment strategies of tinnitus are controversial. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of tinnitus in adolescents and systemic diseases as risk factors of adolescent tinnitus to find evidence for new treatment strategies. Materials and Methods We extracted the subjects and data using the 5th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2010 to 2012. One thousand five hundred ninety‐three adolescents with bilateral normal tympanic membranes and availability of the results of physical, laboratory and audiological examinations, were selected. We evaluated their systemic diseases based on these results and assessed the association of tinnitus with demographic factors, systemic diseases and hearing levels. Results The prevalence of tinnitus in Korean adolescents was 21.7%. The hearing level was not associated with tinnitus. Tinnitus was significantly associated with age (p = 0.005), 25(OH)‐D level (p = 0.007) and anaemia (p = 0.003). After controlling the other factors, age (p = 0.045), 25(OH)‐D level (p = 0.041) and anaemia (p = 0.019) were independently related to tinnitus. Conclusion Tinnitus in adolescents was significantly associated with age, vitamin D and anaemia. Physicians should consider the higher likelihood of these deficiencies or diseases in adolescent tinnitus patients. Additionally, recognizing these associations may be helpful in developing treatment strategies for adolescent tinnitus.