Patients with tinnitus very often suffer from hyperacusis also. Methods and
Patients: In the present study a possible treatment for patients with bila
teral hyperacusis is introduced and the therapeutical results of 41 patient
s suffering from bilateral hyperacusis combined with a uni- or bilateral ti
nnitus are discussed. Twenty-one of them also had a cochlear hearing loss.
By means of white noise generators or hearing aids and a specific acoustic
training the auditory input to the central nervous system was increased. Al
l patients were taught a method to reduce stress (Progressive muscle relaxa
tion according to Jacobson). Uncomfortable loudness levels were analysed be
fore as well as 3 weeks and 6 months after beginning of the treatment. Resu
lts: By the time of 3 weeks the discomfort from ordinary sounds was distinc
tly reduced and the reduction progressed further after 6 months of treatmen
t. In more than 50% of the participants the uncomfortable loudness levels c
ould be raised to a normal range. Interestingly the improvement of hyperacu
sis was independent of an existing hearing loss. Conclusions: The described
method of treatment seems to be helpful for patients with hyperacusis and
will be compared to other therapeutical regimes.