Association between major depressive disorder and subsequent tinnitus: A population-based study

Background: Previous studies have presented an unclear association between major depressive disorder (MDD) and tinnitus. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to demonstrate the actual association between MDD and new-onset tinnitus using a large, population-based dataset in Taiwan. Method: This case-control study used the data from the National Health Insurance Database. In total, 18,365 patients with tinnitus were recruited as cases, and 18,365 propensity score-matched patients without tinnitus were identified as controls. Logistic regression models were constructed to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and to estimate the association between prior MDD and tinnitus. Results: MDD was found in 396 (2.16%) patients with tinnitus and 228 (1.24%) controls without tinnitus. The logistic regression model indicated that prior MDD was associated with tinnitus (adjusted OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.47-2.05). Moreover, MDD was positively associated with tinnitus among most subgroups. Notably, a significant association between MDD and tinnitus was observed among patients with diabetes (adjusted OR, 2.05) and hyperlipidemia (adjusted OR, 1.94). Furthermore, sensitivity analyses consistently found a relationship between prior MDD and tinnitus. Limitations: The database used in this study does not provide information regarding the lifestyle and gene factors. Conclusions: Our results showed a positive association between prior MDD and tinnitus. In addition, MDD may be one of the risk factors for tinnitus onset. Therefore, we recommended that the clinicians should be alert about the tinnitus condition among patients with MDD and provide appropriate interventions for them.