This cross-sectional observational study analyzed data from routine clinical practice to compare outcomes across independent treatment duration cohorts (3, 6, and 9 months).
Cross-sectional design prevents causal conclusions, but findings suggest longer sound therapy exposure correlates with better tinnitus outcomes — audiologists should note this as hypothesis-generating, not yet a basis to extend treatment protocols without further controlled evidence.
Understanding the dose-response relationship between sound therapy duration and tinnitus relief is clinically important for counselling patients on realistic treatment timelines.
- 01Cross-sectional study comparing tinnitus outcomes across 3-, 6-, and longer-duration sound therapy cohorts.
- 02Patients had co-occurring hearing loss, reflecting a common real-world clinical population.
- 03Longer treatment duration was associated with greater tinnitus improvement in routine clinical data.
- 04Cross-sectional design limits causal inference — selection bias between duration cohorts is possible.
- 05Published in American Journal of Otolaryngology; uses real-world clinical data.
Longer duration of sound therapy is associated with better tinnitus outcomes in patients with hearing loss.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42068662
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.amjoto.2026.104850.
- Journal
- American Journal of Otolaryngology
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 3
- Population
- Patients with tinnitus and concurrent hearing loss receiving sound therapy in routine clinical settings
- Intervention
- Sound therapy at varying durations (3 months, 6 months, longer)
- Comparator
- Cross-cohort comparison by treatment duration
Primary outcomes
Tinnitus severity or perception outcomes across treatment duration cohorts