Reasons Why There Is No Tinnitus Cure Yet

Everybody wants to know the answer: why is there no cure for tinnitus? So it’s not surprising this free open access study on the topic has been shared more than 40,000 times as of April 28, 2020.

The authors, including Dr. Baguley of the British Tinnitus Association, point out a key reason. Researchers must do a better job of dividing research subjects into subtypes of tinnitus (and decreased sound tolerance or hyperacusis). This would allow studies to identify which treatments or cures work for specific populations.

For example, a cure for a person with normal hearing could likely be different than a cure for people with hearing loss of different degrees or patterns. Or different for people with or without decreased sound tolerance like hyperacusis, misophonia, or phonophobia.

A cure for acoustic trauma noise-induced tinnitus will likely be very different from a cure for tinnitus from Meniere’s Disease since different anatomy and function are involved.

Will researchers pay attention and better define tinnitus subtypes in subjects studied?