Abstract
Previous studies have suggested a potential association between deviation of the nasal septum and ear-related symptoms, such as tinnitus. The present study aims to assess the relationships between tinnitus and previous episodes of allergic rhinitis (AR) and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) through the use of a nationwide cohort. The research comprised 138,361 patients with tinnitus and 384,895 controls matched on their propensity scores. The baseline clinical and sociodemographic features of both tinnitus patients and the controls were examined utilizing standardized differences. Separate multiple logistic regression models were created to assess the relationship between AR, CRS, and the likelihood of developing tinnitus. Our primary analysis revealed significant differences in the prevalence of pre-existing AR (31.66% vs. 19.64%, p < 0.001), CRS (3.83% vs. 2.15%, p < 0.001), and both (2.51% vs. 1.28%, p < 0.001) between tinnitus patients and controls. Furthermore, tinnitus was significantly associated with pre-existing AR (OR = 1.813, 95% CI:1.787 ~ 1.840), CRS (OR = 1.626, 95% CI:1.569 ~ 1.686), and both (OR = 1.751, 95% CI:1.674 ~ 1.831) after adjusting for sociodemographic traits and medical conditions including hyperlipidemia, diabetes, hearing loss, obesity, anemia, alcohol abuse, tobacco use disorder, anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, asthma and otitis media. This large, population-based study demonstrates a significant association between AR, CRS, and tinnitus, with the highest risk observed in patients affected by both conditions. Early identification and treatment of AR and CRS may help reduce tinnitus risk and improve overall quality of life.
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Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are not publicly available due the privacy protection regulation of Health and Welfare Data Centre, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan.
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The authors thank the Health and Welfare Data Science Center (HWDC), Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan, for providing the data.
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Conceptualization, TH and HC; methodology, TC; validation, TC; formal analysis, TC; writing—original and revision preparation, TH, SD, HC, and TC.; writing review and editing, HC. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
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Yang, TH., Chung, SD., Lin, HC. et al. Associations of chronic rhinosinusitis and allergic rhinitis with tinnitus. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39016-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39016-2
