Tinnitus is the subjective perception of sound in the head or ears, typically whistling or buzzing sounds. Our earlier study of tinnitus using ALSPAC showed it was common in childhood with a prevalence of ~28% at age 11; clinically significant tinnitus was much less common however, at around 3%. In adulthood, the prevalence is around 1 in 10, and the most common risk factors are hearing loss and increasing age. It is not known whether tinnitus in childhood predicts adult tinnitus.

Having tinnitus is associated with increased levels of anxiety and depression but is unclear whether this is a consequence of tinnitus, or whether people with higher levels of anxiety and depression are more likely to report and seek help for their tinnitus. There is also an association of tinnitus with particular psychological traits such as neuroticism but the direction of causality is not known. Finally links have been described between tinnitus and suicide, but it is not known whether these relate to the co-occurring depression and hearing loss that often come with tinnitus.

We therefore aim to examine risk factors and outcomes for tinnitus in both childhood and adulthood in the ALSPAC cohort.