Data from: Logistic regression analysis of factors influencing the effectiveness of intensive sound masking therapy in patients with tinnitus

Objectives: To investigate factors influencing the effectiveness intensive
sound masking therapy on tinnitus using Logistic Regression Analysis.
Design: The study used a retrospective cross-section analysis.
Participants: 102 patients with tinnitus were recruited at the Sun Yat-sen
Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, China. Intervention:
Intensive sound masking therapy was used as an intervention approach for
patients with tinnitus. Primary and secondary outcome measures:
participants underwent audiological investigations and tinnitus pitch and
loudness matching measurements, followed by intensive sound masking
therapy. The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) was used as the outcome
measure pre- and post-treatment. Multivariate logistic regression was
performed to investigate the association of demographic and audiological
factors with effective therapy. Results: According to the THI score
changes pre-and post-sound masking intervention, fifty-one participants
were categorised into an effective group, the remaining 51 participants
were placed in a non-effective group. Those in the effective group were
significantly younger than those in the non-effective group (p=0.012).
Significantly more participants had flat audiogram configurations in the
effective group (p=0.04). Multivariable logistic regression analysis
showed that age (OR=0.96, 95% CI: 0.93, 0.99, p=0.007), audiometric
configuration (p=0.027) and THI score pre-treatment (OR=1.04, 95% CI:
1.02, 1.07, p<0.001) were significantly associated with therapeutic
effectiveness. Further analysis showed that patients with flat audiometric
configurations were 5.45 times more likely to respond to intervention than
those with high-frequency steeply sloping audiograms (OR=5.45, 95% CI:
1.67, 17.86, p=0.005). Conclusion: Audiometric configuration, age and THI
scores appear to be predictive for the effectiveness of sound masking
treatment. Gender, tinnitus characteristics and hearing threshold measures
seem not to be related to treatment effectiveness. Further randomized
control study is needed to provide further evidence of the effectiveness
of prognostic factors in tinnitus interventions.