Deafness Claims News.
Finally, a ‘cure’ for Tinnitus?
The Medical Research Council’s Institute of Hearing Research was recently featured on BBC One’s ‘The One Show’ (19 April 2010).
The Institute for Hearing Research is carrying out research into the causes of tinnitus and in turn, effective treatment, a cure for tinnitus.
Perhaps astonishingly, about 10% of the adult UK population have experienced prolonged tinnitus, with 5% being troubled by it
(Davis, 1995). (A good measure of how seriously tinnitus can affect sufferers is that awards for compensation for hearing damage are significantly increased (more than doubled in some cases) where tinnitus is complained of in addition). This means a cure for tinnitus would very welcome to many!
Despite tinnitus being a major cause of misery and frustration, at present there is no agreement as to how it is caused, which is one reason why finding a cure for tinnitus has been difficult. Many cases are associated with hearing damage and with altered neural activity in the brain. It can also be caused by exposure to excessive noise in the workplace.
It seems most likely that tinnitus is caused by a number of factors and this is why no single treatment will work for all sufferers. In any event, current treatments for tinnitus generally seek to address the distress that tinnitus generates rather than its underlying cause.
The Institute for Hearing Research is involved in two projects to try and understand why tinnitus occurs and the effectiveness of treatments. In turn, the results of the studies should help to develop strategies for the management of the condition and maybe even a cure for tinnitus.
The first project will deal with psychological training to change the sufferer’s aversive reaction to the tinnitus. Brain patterns will be monitored to see how those whom have had the treatment compare to those whom have not. Brain activity will also be compared on the basis of self-reports and objective measures of tinnitus severity.
The second project evaluates auditory learning treatments or retraining. If such training therapies are effective at reducing tinnitus, the researchers will further explore the benefit of these treatments for relieving the emotional distress associated with tinnitus.
There is no news yet on when the study will be complete but a cure for tinnitus or any treatment which alleviates the misery of the condition for its millions of sufferers will be long overdue and extremely welcome.
Have you the symptoms of Tinnitus from working in a noisy environment for a prolonged period? Find out if you are entitled to compensation by calling our advice line on 01244 354696 or contact our deafness solicitors to calculate your damages. |