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Tinnitus and arterial hypertension: a systematic review

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Abstract

Tinnitus is considered a multi-factorial symptom. Arterial hypertension has been cited as a tinnitus etiological factor. To assess the scientific evidence on the associations between arterial hypertension and tinnitus. A systematic review was performed using PubMed, ISI Web, Lilacs and SciELO scientific databases. This review included articles published in Portuguese, Spanish, French and English correlating tinnitus with hypertension. Letters to editors and case reports were excluded. A total of 424 articles were identified, of which only 20 met the inclusion criteria. Studies that analyzed the incidence of hypertension in tinnitus patients tended to show an association, while those that evaluated the incidence of tinnitus in hypertensive patients did not. There is evidence of an association between tinnitus and hypertension, although a cause and effect relationship is uncertain. Changes in the cochlear microcirculation, resulting in hearing loss, may be an adjuvant factor in tinnitus pathophysiology

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Acknowledgments

Lisa Thuler, for the manuscript English revision.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal University of São Paulo, Rua dos Otonis, 700, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, RJ, 04025-002, Brazil

    Ricardo Rodrigues Figueiredo

  2. Valença Medical School, Rua Dom José Costa Campos, 20, Centro, Valença, RJ, 27600-000, Brazil

    Ricardo Rodrigues Figueiredo

  3. Otorrinolaringologia Sul-Fluminense, Rua 40, no 20, salas 216 a 218, Vila Santa Cecília, Volta Redonda, RJ, 27255-650, Brazil

    Andréia Aparecida de Azevedo

  4. Federal University of São Paulo, Rua dos Otonis, 700, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP, 04025-002, Brazil

    Norma de Oliveira Penido

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  1. Ricardo Rodrigues Figueiredo
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  2. Andréia Aparecida de Azevedo
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  3. Norma de Oliveira Penido
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Correspondence to Ricardo Rodrigues Figueiredo.

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Figueiredo, R.R., de Azevedo, A.A. & Penido, N.O. Tinnitus and arterial hypertension: a systematic review. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 272, 3089–3094 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-014-3277-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-014-3277-y

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