Tinnitus What s Happening Where 2013 Aintree Tinnitus Support Group s 5 th Anniversary Lecture Dr. Ian Mackenzie Head of World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Prevention of Deafness in the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Where have I been talking about tinnitus and deafness in last 2 years Bangalore India November 2011 London England June 2012 Hyderabad India October2012 Atlanta USA November 2012 Capetown South Africa December 2012
Where in 2013 am I going to talk Clinical Sciences Aintree April 2013 Beijing China April 2013 Amman Jordan May 2013 Quito Equador June 2013 Le Pas Peru June 2013 Tennessee USA July 2013 Hyderabad/Bangalore October 2013 Seoul Korea cannot go but researcher taking my place June 2013
My research at present More imaging and tinnitus after Faten s work Iodine deficiency deafness and tinnitus In India Zinc deficiency and deafness and infection in Kenya and Aborigines in Australia Ototoxicity following new drug for malaria using ABR in Malawi Tinnitus regarded as end point problem
Always start lectures with similar slides Talk about anatomy of ear Explain the nerve pathway Nearly always show the next slide which says all and in any language Just beautiful
The inner ear under electron microscope x100,000
Thousands of hair cells in each ear Fantastic blood supply Each hair cell conical in shape Very sensitive to movement Protected by bone casing Connected to brain by nerves Connected to brain by fluids
What does research into tinnitus require Leadership Organisation Administration Multi disciplines Strategy Money last study Faten s scans cost 34,000! Scientific minds does not so much provide right answers but to ask the right questions
World wide problem In UK Age50-59 13% complain of tinnitus In USA Age 50-59 10% complain of tinnitus In Sweden Age 50-59 19% complain of tinnitus In Kenya Age 50-59 6% complain of tinnitus
Regional variations in UK Cardiff Glasgow 18% of adults complain of tinnitus 18% of adults complain of tinnitus Nottingham18% of adults complain of tinnitus Southampton 15% of adults complain of tinnitus
Where is research going on in the world at the moment In many centres No coordination at present WHO mainly interested in deafness Particularly conditions you can die from Acoustic neuroma Chronic otitis media
In Liverpool Publicising Faten s work 3 good publications so far New project on imaging on track Continuing success in adding tinnitus to PD A10 Work from here added 5% for tinnitus disability Trying to raise this to 10% Ester McVey MP minister at DWP listening Recently in Leeds for ITS gave 4 coal miners 5% for tinnitus adds 5 a week to their pension
McMaster Canada Looking at noise and tinnitus Found changes specific to noise damage in the auditory nucleus Trying to find ways of stopping these changes Some form of stereo tactic therapy
Problems with randomised trials of treatment Blinding of any study is difficult Using placebos is expensive and difficult
Innsbruck Austria Psychology of tinnitus promote habituation Improve Patients ability to reduce input of tinnitus on quality of life various techniques in controlling attention to tinnitus Attention control techniques Behavioural therapies
Madrid Spain Looking at medication to control tinnitus Believe caused by abnormal firing of neurones looking at calcium signalling pathways Found that GABA gamma amino butyric acid modulates the excitability of nerve cells
New York USA Much animal work to find medication for tinnitus Give rats and chinchillas ototoxic drugs to give tinnitus Aspirin Quinine High level noise Condition animals to white noise and food
Dallas Texas USA Investigate pain and tinnitus Phantom limb pain much work on veterans From Vietnam and Iraq Very well funded like tinnitus rely on patients own perception had identified limbic system in pain control recently quoting Faten s work also think spinothalamic tract involved
Portland Oregan USA Looking at diseases related to tinnitus Meniere s Wilsons disease copper lack in diet some forms of autism Head Injuries Changes in neural processing Trying to reroute information in brain by over stimulation or auditory deprivation Electromagnetic techniques
Regensberg Germany Genetic risk factors No gene found yet but Evidence of familial aggregation
Rio Brazil Relationship to myogenic response in face also tip of fingers and neck muscles experiments on humans Aggravating muscle activity To see if tinnitus gets worse stimulating tips of fingers Stimulating muscles of face
Thank you for listening World wide problem Much research going on Very difficult to quantify effect on life Watch the papers for progress, look on the BTA website, attend the support group Any significant progress will be published widely