Standardised profiling for tinnitus research: The European School for Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Research Screening Questionnaire (ESIT-SQ)

Eleni Genitsaridi; Marta Partyka; Silvano Gallus; Jose A Lopez-Escamez; Martin Schecklmann; Marzena Mielczarek; Natalia Trpchevska; Jose L Santacruz; Stefan Schoisswohl; Constanze Riha; Matheus Lourenco; Roshni Biswas; Nuwan Liyanage; Christopher R Cederroth; Patricia Perez-Carpena; Jana Devos; Thomas Fuller; Niklas K Edvall; Matilda Prada Hellberg; Alessia D'Antonio; Stefania Gerevini; Magdalena Sereda; Andreas Rein; Theodore Kypraios; Derek J Hoare; Alain Londero; Rüdiger Pryss; Winfried Schlee; Deborah A Hall

doi:10.1016/j.heares.2019.02.017

Standardised profiling for tinnitus research: The European School for Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Research Screening Questionnaire (ESIT-SQ)

Hear Res. 2019 Jun:377:353-359. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2019.02.017. Epub 2019 Mar 2.

Authors

Eleni Genitsaridi¹, Marta Partyka², Silvano Gallus³, Jose A Lopez-Escamez⁴, Martin Schecklmann⁵, Marzena Mielczarek⁶, Natalia Trpchevska⁷, Jose L Santacruz⁸, Stefan Schoisswohl⁵, Constanze Riha⁹, Matheus Lourenco¹⁰, Roshni Biswas¹¹, Nuwan Liyanage¹², Christopher R Cederroth⁷, Patricia Perez-Carpena¹³, Jana Devos¹⁴, Thomas Fuller¹⁰, Niklas K Edvall⁷, Matilda Prada Hellberg⁷, Alessia D'Antonio¹⁵, Stefania Gerevini¹⁶, Magdalena Sereda¹⁷, Andreas Rein¹⁸, Theodore Kypraios¹⁹, Derek J Hoare¹⁷, Alain Londero²⁰, Rüdiger Pryss²¹, Winfried Schlee⁵, Deborah A Hall²²

Affiliations

¹ NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham, NG1 5DU, UK; Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Building 40 University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. Electronic address: eleni.genitsaridi@nottingham.ac.uk.
² Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Physiological Psychology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstraße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
³ Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via G. La Masa 19, 20156, Milan, Italy.
⁴ Otology & Neurotology Group CTS495, Department of Genomic Medicine- Centro de Genómica e Investigación Oncológica - Pfizer/Universidad de Granada, Junta de Andalucía (GENyO), Avda de la Ilustración, 114 18016, Granada, Spain; Department of Otolaryngology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Avda. de las Fuerzas Armadas, 2 18014, Granada, Spain.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 84, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
⁶ Department of Otolaryngology, Laryngological Oncology, Audiology and Phoniatrics, Medical University of Lodz, 113 Zeromskiego St., 90-549, Lodz, Poland.
⁷ Experimental Audiology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedicum, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 65, Stockholm, Sweden.
⁸ Department of Otorhinolaryngology (ENT), University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB, Groningen, the Netherlands.
⁹ Department of Neuropsychology, University of Zurich, Binzmuehlestr. 14/25, 8050, Zurich, Switzerland.
¹⁰ Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229, ER, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
¹¹ NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham, NG1 5DU, UK; Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Building 40 University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via G. La Masa 19, 20156, Milan, Italy.
¹² University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Frauenklinikstrasse 24, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland.
¹³ Otology & Neurotology Group CTS495, Department of Genomic Medicine- Centro de Genómica e Investigación Oncológica - Pfizer/Universidad de Granada, Junta de Andalucía (GENyO), Avda de la Ilustración, 114 18016, Granada, Spain; Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario San Cecilio (Campus de la Salud), Instituto Biosanitario de Granada, ibs.Granada, Avda de la Investigación S/n, 18016, Granada, Spain.
¹⁴ Department of Neuroscience, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ER, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Department of Ear Nose and Throat/Head and Neck Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229, ER, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
¹⁵ Department of Public Health, IRCCS, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Via G. La Masa 19, 20156, Milan, Italy.
¹⁶ Bocconi University, Via Roentgen 1, 20136, Milan, Italy.
¹⁷ NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham, NG1 5DU, UK; Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Building 40 University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
¹⁸ Andreas Rein Engineering, Elisabethenstr. 28, 89077, Ulm, Germany.
¹⁹ School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Nottingham, NG7 2RD, Nottingham, UK.
²⁰ Service ORL et CCF, Consultation Acouphène et Hyperacousie, Hôpital Européen G. Pompidou, 20, Rue Leblanc, 75015, Paris, France.
²¹ Institute of Databases and Information Systems, Ulm University, James-Franck-Ring, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
²² NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham, NG1 5DU, UK; Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Building 40 University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK; Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Queens Medical Centre, Derby Road, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK; University of Nottingham Malaysia, Jalan Broga, 43500, Semeniyh, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

PMID: 30871820
DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2019.02.017

Abstract

Background: The heterogeneity of tinnitus is substantial. Its numerous pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical manifestations have hampered fundamental and treatment research significantly. A decade ago, the Tinnitus Research Initiative introduced the Tinnitus Sample Case History Questionnaire, a case history instrument for standardised collection of information about the characteristics of the tinnitus patient. Since then, a number of studies have been published which characterise individuals and groups using data collected with this questionnaire. However, its use has been restricted to a clinical setting and to the evaluation of people with tinnitus only. In addition, it is limited in the ability to capture relevant comorbidities and evaluate their temporal relationship with tinnitus.

Method: Here we present a new case history instrument which is comprehensive in scope and can be answered by people with and without tinnitus alike. This 'European School for Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Research Screening Questionnaire' (ESIT-SQ) was developed with specific attention to questions about potential risk factors for tinnitus (including demographics, lifestyle, general medical and otological histories), and tinnitus characteristics (including perceptual characteristics, modulating factors, and associations with co-existing conditions). It was first developed in English, then translated into Dutch, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish, and Swedish, thus having broad applicability and supporting international collaboration.

Conclusions: With respect to better understanding tinnitus profiles, we anticipate the ESIT-SQ to be a starting point for comprehensive multi-variate analyses of tinnitus. Data collected with the ESIT-SQ can allow establishment of patterns that distinguish tinnitus from non-tinnitus, and definition of common sets of tinnitus characteristics which might be indicated by the presence of otological or comorbid systemic diseases for which tinnitus is a known symptom.

Keywords: Classification; Data collection; Heterogeneity; Self report; Translations.

Publication types

Multicenter Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Europe / epidemiology
Hearing*
Humans
Predictive Value of Tests
Reproducibility of Results
Risk Factors
Surveys and Questionnaires / standards*
Tinnitus / diagnosis*
Tinnitus / epidemiology
Tinnitus / physiopathology
Translating