@article{ref1,
title="Prevalence of tinnitus and association with self-rated health among military personnel injured on combat deployment",
journal="Military medicine",
year="2020",
author="MacGregor, Andrew J. and Joseph, Antony R. and Dougherty, Amber L.",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="INTRODUCTION: Tinnitus is an auditory problem frequently reported by military personnel and is currently responsible for 1 billion dollars annually in disability compensation. Recent military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan saw high levels of combat exposure coupled with a surge in blast weaponry, both of which can adversely affect hearing. The present study explored the prevalence of tinnitus and the association with self-rated health among military personnel injured during combat deployment.   MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1,026 U.S. military personnel who sustained an injury during operations (592 battle blast, 73 battle nonblast, 361 nonbattle) in Iraq were identified from clinical records. Post-Deployment Health Assessments administered at two separate points in time were used to identify self-reported tinnitus symptoms and self-rated health within 1 year of injury.   RESULTS: Those with a battle blast injury had the highest prevalence of tinnitus with 19.1% and 31.3% on the first and second health assessments, respectively. In a multivariate model adjusting for combat exposure, concussion, posttraumatic stress disorder, and other covariates, tinnitus was associated with lower self-rated health for both the first (odds ratio [OR] = 3.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.07-5.30, P < 0.001) and second assessments (OR = 2.52, 95% CI = 1.76-3.61, P < 0.001).   CONCLUSIONS: Tinnitus is a common source of impairment among military personnel injured during combat deployment and is associated with poorer self-rated health. Future research should determine whether timing of assessment is linked to symptom recognition or reporting, and what interventions are best suited for ameliorating the negative impact of tinnitus.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0026-4075",
doi="10.1093/milmed/usaa103",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaa103"
}