Tinnitus Burden Predicts Domain-Specific Quality of Life After Cochlear Implantation.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the longitudinal association between tinnitus burden and domain-specific cochlear implant-related quality of life in adult cochlear implant recipients.

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective chart review.

SETTING

Single academic tertiary-care center.

PATIENTS: One hundred eighty-one adult cochlear implant recipients (aged 19-91 y; mean 61.4±17.5).

INTERVENTIONS: Quality of life questionnaires.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and Cochlear Implant Quality of Life instruments (CIQOL-35 Profile and CIQOL-10 Global) were assessed preoperatively and at 6 and 12 months postoperatively.

RESULTS

Following implantation, tinnitus severity decreased and CI-specific quality of life improved across all CIQOL domains by 6 months and remained stable at 12 months. In adjusted linear mixed-effects models (n=128), greater persistent tinnitus burden was independently associated with poorer CI-specific quality of life across multiple domains, including Emotional, Social, Entertainment, Communication, Listening Effort, and Global Functioning. The strongest association was observed in the Emotional domain (β=-2.17 per 10-point increase in THI). These findings remained directionally consistent in sensitivity analyses adjusting for baseline clinical characteristics and postoperative speech performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Cochlear implantation improves both tinnitus severity and cochlear implant-specific quality of life. However, persistent tinnitus burden remains independently associated with poorer patient-reported outcomes across multiple domains, particularly in emotional functioning.