Increased prevalence and risk of anxiety disorders in adults with tinnitus: A population-based study in Taiwan

Abstract Objective Tinnitus is a common disorder that may cause psychological distress and anxiety. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between anxiety disorders (ADs) and tinnitus in a large population. Method We conducted a cross-sectional study using the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. Study subjects included 14,772 patients with tinnitus and 709,963 people in the general population who sought treatment in 2005. Distributions in ADs, age, sex, and medical comorbidities were compared between groups using chi-squared tests. Multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, and medical comorbidities were used to analyze the association between tinnitus and ADs. Results Prevalence of ADs in tinnitus and general population groups was 3.9% and 1.5%, respectively, and this difference was significant ( P P -values  P Conclusion Because the risk of ADs was significantly higher in patients with tinnitus than in the general population, physicians should be aware of the importance of psychological factors in tinnitus management.