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Tinnitus Risk Increased for Patients With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 3, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Jan. 3, 2025 -- Patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have an increased risk for tinnitus, according to a study published online Dec. 3 in Scientific Reports.

Noting that acid reflux may disrupt the homeostasis of the middle and inner ear through the Eustachian tube, Sung-Woo Kang, from the Kyung Hee University College of Korean Medicine in Seoul, and colleagues explored the association between GERD and tinnitus, which may exist due to the imbalance of the middle and inner ear. A retrospective cohort study was conducted, involving 669,159 patients registered in the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (2012 to 2019) in South Korea.

The researchers found that during follow-up, 60,253 individuals in the GERD group and 11,367 in the non-GERD group were diagnosed with tinnitus (incidence rate, 14.91 versus 1.74 cases per 1,000 person-years; crude hazard ratio, 8.32). After adjustment for age, sex, income, number of gastroendoscopies and visits, comorbidities, and the Charlson Comorbidity Index, the adjusted hazard ratio was 7.15, and it remained significant at 6.65 after further adjustment for medications one year before the index date. There was no significant decrease seen in the onset of tinnitus in association with proton pump inhibitor medication use in GERD patients.

"In this study, after adjusting for covariates, GERD patients had a 6.65 times higher risk of developing tinnitus compared to non-GERD patients," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted January 2025

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