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Risk factors

By Mayo Clinic staff

Anyone can get tinnitus, but you might be at increased risk if:

  • You've been exposed to loud noise without ear protection, especially on an ongoing basis.
  • You're over age 65.
  • You have age-related hearing loss.
  • You're a man.
  • You're Caucasian.
  • You have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Tinnitus is especially aggravated by loud noises in people with PTSD.
References
  1. About tinnitus. American Tinnitus Association. http://www.ata.org/for-patients/about-tinnitus. Accessed May 20, 2010.
  2. Dinces EA. Pathogenesis and diagnosis of tinnitus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 6, 2010.
  3. Dinces EA. Treatment of tinnitus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 6, 2010.
  4. Holmes S, et al. Review paper: More than ringing in the ears — A review of tinnitus and its psychosocial impact. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2009;18:2927.
DS00365 July 31, 2010

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