Impact of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Hearing and Balance

Sunday, September 29, 2024

1:54 PM – 2:00 PM EDT

Location: MBCC, 231

Disclosure(s):

Alyssa M. Civantos, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Steven W. Cheung, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Jolie L. Chang, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Megan L. Durr, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Introduction: Traumatic brain injury affects 1.5 million people per year in the United States, with the majority classified as mild (mTBI). While many immediate symptoms are short-term, some patients experience impairments of daily function and quality of life that are long-term. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between mTBI post-concussive and hearing, tinnitus, and dizziness symptoms.

Methods: A cross-sectional study on adult patients presenting to a Level I public trauma center with mTBI ≥ 6 months prior to study enrollment collected response data to the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI), Revised Hearing Handicap Survey (RHHI), Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI), and Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) survey instruments. The NSI is a validated, self-reported measure of post-concussive symptoms. Linear regression analyses were performed.

Results: A total of 34 subjects were recruited, with median age of 52.5 (IQR 38-64), 67% male, 56% self-identifying as White, and 88% self-identifying as non-Hispanic/Latinx. Median time since injury was 32 months (IQR 25-34). Mean NSI score was 23 (range 0-70), mean RHHI was 16.2 (0-64), mean TFI was 14.3 (0-85.2), and mean DHI was 19 (0-100). On linear regression, NSI score was positively correlated with RHHI, TFI, and DHI scores (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: The post-concussive symptoms of mTBI are associated with chronic impairments in hearing, tinnitus, and dizziness. Based on this work, structural causal models may be used to dissect associations to inform treatment of mTBI patients with audiovestibular symptoms.

Presenting Author(s)

Alyssa M. Civantos, MD

Resident Physician
University of California - San Francisco
San Francisco, CA, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Co-Author(s)

SA

Sultan Al Azzawi, BS

Medical Student
University of California San Francisco, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
PT

Phiroz Tarapore, MD

Associate Professor, Neurological Surgery
University of California San Francisco, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
SC

Steven W. Cheung, MD

Professor
University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, CA, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Jennifer A. Henderson Sabes, AuD

Audiologist
University of California, San Francisco
Bellevue, WA, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.

Senior Author(s)

JC

Jolie L. Chang, MD

Associate Professor, Otolaryngology HNS
University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, CA, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Megan L. Durr, MD

Associate Professor
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.