Is there an association between the parameters of arterial stifness and tinnitus?

Abstract

Background: Increasing arterial stiffness is associated with atherosclerosis and there is an association between atherosclerosis and tinnitus may occur. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between arterial stiffness and tinnitus using the central pulse-wave analysis method. Methods: This prospective, single center study included 98 participants, comprising 49 patients diagnosed with subjective idiopathic tinnitus (Group 1) and a control group of 49 healthy subjects (Group 2). The Mobil-O-Graph 24 h Pulse wave analysis (PWA) Monitor (I.E.M. GmbH, Stolberg, Germany) was used to determine the arterial stiffness and cardiovascular hemodynamic parameters. Central pulse pressure (CPP), Augmentation index and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were obtained with the device. Results: No statistically significant difference was determined between Groups in respect of age, smoking and hypertension (p > .05). Statistically significantly higher Central Pulse Pressure (CPP) values and pulse wave velocity were higher in Group 1 compared to the control group (p < .005). No statistical variation was detected in terms of the augmentation index (18.5 +/- 11.3 vs 16.7 +/- 10.3, p = .543). Conclusion: Our results marked that arterial stiffness is associated with tinnitus. The relationship was examined via oscillometric method, which is simple to perform and has been recommended in guidelines for the determination of cardiovascular event risk.