[Validation of the Chinese version of the auditory subscale of the tinnitus functional index].

Objective

To explore whether the Chinese version of the tinnitus functional index（TFI-CH） auditory subscale score can accurately reflect the impact of tinnitus on hearing. Method:TFI-CH were used to evaluate the severity of tinnitus in 72 adult patients with primary tinnitus. The hearing thershold were recorded by audiological examination. Result:There was significant difference in pure-tone average and the score of the TFI-CH and auditory subscale between patients with normal hearing and patients with hearing loss（P<0.01）. There was no significant correlation between TFI-CH auditory subscale score and age, gender, educational level and course of tinnitus（P>0.05）. A positive correlation was found between the pure-tone average and TFI-CH auditory subscale score（r=0.44, P<0.01）. There was linear correlation between the pure-tone average and the scores of TFI-CH and auditory subscale（P<0.01）.

Conclusion

The score of the TFI-CH and its hearing subscale are affected by the hearing threshold of tinnitus patients, especially in tinnitus patients with hearing loss. Whether TFI-CH hearing subscale score can accurately reflect the influence of tinnitus on the hearing threshold of patients remains unclear, which needs to be considered in clinical application.