Tinnitus and hearing disorders in panic disease
Abstract
Sixty-three patients with panic disease were investigated for
subjective and objective hearing disorders. Patients were classified
into two groups: I, vertigo and/or tinnitus were preceded by panic
(n=20); II, panic was preceded by vertigo and/or tinnitus (n=43). 61
patients of 63 suffered from dizziness, whereas 41 complained for
tinnitus. The tinnitus could have been characterized by pure tone
signal in 12 cases and by noise in 29. Frequency and intensity of
tinnitus were found measurable in 16. Astonishingly, the tinnitometric
parameters of 7 tinnitus cases with noise sensation were also found to
be determinable. Subjective hearing impairment was mentioned by 30
patients, while pure tone audiometry revealed sensorineural hearing
loss in 27. The objective hearing loss was subjectively aggravated by
11 individuals. The threshold of the stapedial reflex proved to be
decreased in 17 ears and the reflex was absent in 13. When the
character of tinnitus was compared between dizziness cohorts with and
without panic disease, sensation of pure tone signal was typical for
the non-panic group, and noise, whistling proved to be characteristic
for panicking persons. Patients with dizziness and panic evaluated
their hearing loss more severely, whereas non-panicking patients with
dizziness realistically evaluated their hearing ability.
examinations were better than previously expected. Except of 9
patients pathological ENG findings could be diagnosed with a
dominating appearance of pathological directional prepondance.
