At least one in seven people in the European Union – about 65 million – suffers from tinnitus in their ears or head, and that number is expected to rise significantly in the future as the population ages, according to a new scientific study. , the most comprehensive of its kind to date. Of these, about 4 million are estimated to have a severe tinnitus problem, while 26 million are quite annoying.
In Greece, according to the study conducted on people aged 18-64, 16.1% seem to have occasional tinnitus, of which 6% are annoying and 1.9% are severe. Our country also appears to have the lowest percentage of people in the EU (4.1%) who seek medical attention for this problem.
Tinnitus (buzzing) are various noises, such as ringing, buzzing, whistling, etc. in the ears (in one or both) or in the head, without any external source producing these sounds and without being heard by other people. Noise can be slow or loud and, in the worst cases, seriously affects a person.
The researchers, led by Rosni Bisguas of the University of Nottingham School of Medicine in the UK, published the study in the medical journal The Lancet Regional Health-Europe and analyzed samples from 11,427 people over the age of 18 in 12 European countries. including Greece.
It was found that tinnitus is felt by 14.7% of adults, slightly more women (15.2%) than men (14%). The percentage varies greatly from country to country, ranging from 8.7% in Ireland to 28.3% in Bulgaria.
Severe tinnitus, which undermines quality of life, is found in 1.2% of people (1.4% in women versus 1% in men), ranging from 0.6% in Ireland to 4.2% in Romania. The frequency of tinnitus increases significantly with age and hearing difficulties in old age.
So far, however, no medication or other definitive treatment has been found for tinnitus, although there are medications to manage the problem.
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